


Effervescent

by ChibsAndChill



Category: Avatar (2009)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 94,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24378088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibsAndChill/pseuds/ChibsAndChill
Summary: adjective. effervescing; bubbling. vivacious; merry; lively; sparkling.Alva had always been different.Tsu'tey x OC
Relationships: Tsu'tey/Orginal Female Character
Comments: 32
Kudos: 154





	1. Chapter 1

Alva stared down at her hands, the thin dark cyan stripes ran down her arms and ended just before the beginning of her fingers. She had already put some rings made out of different kinds of vines, twigs and flowers that she had been able to grab just outside of the fence that imprisoned her to the human base on Pandora. Her thumb had a thin vine that curled around it and decorated with a pretty purple flower with the most lovely neon pink veins that she had ever seen, her instincts told her this flower wasn't toxic by touch but if someone were to consume it on the other hand. She had two rings on her middle finger, the bottom one made out of a dark brown twig that she had managed to manipulate into the circular shape she wanted, that one had a green flower with a blue center on it that glowed in the dark. The upper one was a a light green vine that snaked around her finger like one of the snakes she used to have back on earth did, this one didn't have a flower on it, but a small stone that she had by accident found after she stepped of the plane. It sparkled a pretty white and fit well with her other rings. The last ring she had on her finger was a more loose fitting one on her pinky, the material was of a thin stripe of red Na'vi clothing she had found in one of the bulldozers, this ring had her mother's ring attached to it. On her left hand she had matching rings except for the last one that instead of her mother's ring had her father's hanging from the material.

She wiggled her fingers and giggled when her rings made a soft clicking sound against each other that brought her right back to her grandmother's house and the clicking sound she always made when moving around.

Next her eyes were drawn to the ankle bracelet she had, as she had with the other jewelry, convinced the leadership to let her keep. It had taken her a long time to make, four days to be exact. Four days of extreme focus while sitting on the roof of the avatar longhouse, overlooking the nature of Pandora that she adored but hadn't had the chance to discover yet. Every now and then she would see a flash of blue and the shapes of the great ikran flying in the air above and around her. The bracelet had three different kinds of vines braided together and then decorated with shiny pearls she had gotten from her auntie on her third birthday. She shook her foot slightly, observing the mesmerizing pattern on her skin, think dark cyan stripes ran down her legs and on her right foot they continued to the end of her toes, but on her left foot they curled down to where her ankle began and twisted around to meet the stripes that ran on the back. She had once tried counting each of the shining luminescent dots that decorated her body but she would always lose count or get distracted.

Alva stood up with a grin on her lips that she had painted red with some of the war paint she had found in one of the boxes in Quaritch office. She had dressed herself in one of the shorts she had been given from the RDA, but that she had ripped to make shorter and better fit her body that was slightly more curvaceous than the other Avatar bodies. Her shirt was ripped the same way to make the outfit more comfortable to wear in the Pandora climat, and better suit what she liked. Said shirt had been ripped to cover about the same amount of skin as a crop top and she had ripped off the sleeves five minutes within receiving the piece of clothing. Her stomach didn't have any dark blue stripes on them but she could see them twisting and snaking around her waist and down her hips. The bioluminescent dots on her torso ran in straight lines that curved slightly at her waist, and with a few circles along the middle of her stomach.

The avatar stretched much like a cat would after waking up from a nap, she let out a low moan before scratching her back with her previous grin still on her lips. She remembers when she first saw her new self in one of the mirrors and was stunned into silence by her new appearance. She had large eyes, larger than any of the other avatars she had seen. They were ember colored with specks of her old brown in them. Alva remember touching her high cheekbones and then trailing her fingers down to her jawline. Next her eyes had wandered to her nose, or rather snout that she likened to that of a feline. Most of her appearance and mannerism had been cat-like before but was now on a whole new level. She hadn't noticed her pointed ears until she saw them move in her reflection, immediately her hands had flown up to touch them, discovering how sensitive to touch they were. Her body was very different from before too, but her curves were mostly the same, she thanked her ancestors for them everyday. Her waist was much smaller and her shoulders wider, her body was much more muscular than it used to be. She liked it.

Alva shook her head to bring herself out of the memory and fondly ran her hand down the length of her tail and noted happily that her bracelets made a nice clicking sound in unison with her other jewelry. She had one bracelet on her right wrist, both made of a light brown wood with pink and green details engraved in the wood, and two on her left wrist that were made of the same wood but with blue and purple details instead.

Her hair fell into loose curls, something that almost made her miss her human hair with all its tight curls and troubling routines. She was glad to say goodbye to the long routines and steps she had to go through for her hair and she liked her new look, but she would still miss her natural hair. Alva was glad that at least she got to keep some of her curls instead of the flat hair that she had seen all the other avatars have. She had braided some of the hair into thin braids that she had decorated with some left over golden strings and other small hoops that she suspected used to be earrings, but beggars can't be choosers.

"Come on Alva, it's time to sleep!" The lead scientist on Hell's Gate, the legendary Grace Augustine, called up to her with a slight tone of humor to her voice. "Selfridge will have both of our asses if you're not locked in here"

Alva sighed and took one last longing glance at Pandora and closed her eyes to listen to the gentle singing Eywa made through her nature. She opened her mind and ears and listened to what the breeze had to say, what the trees whispered to each other in gentle groans and all the other plants and animals on Pandora. She could feel her longing increase and she could feel Eywa urging her to break free of the chains placed on her but she pushed down the urge with a small giggle. 'The time will come, but that is not now'. Alva felt the sorrow Eywa pushed towards her at her words and she had to suppress her own tears. 'The time will come' she tried to reassure both herself and Eywa.

"Alva!" Grace shouted up again, this time her voice had dropped all humor and was stone cold and dead serious. "Now!"

"You mustn't yell at me, Grace, I will come down." Alva replied in a soothing tone that held the same airy vibe to it that it always did.

The avatar crouched down and grabbed ahold of the unstable pipe that she uses to climb up and down from the roof. It groaned when she applied some of her weight on it but she didn't let it faze her, she had done the same climb at least a thousand or more times. It was the best spot to look over the fences that kept her inside the base, she was still convinced that the fences were there to keep them in rather than to keep Pandora away. In one agile movement she pushed her legs off the edge and around the pipe that she would use to get down on the ground again where an agitated Grace was waiting to scold her.

She slid down the pipe while humming an old tune that had been passed down through generations of her family, now she was the only one who knew it. The thought briefly saddened her but she pushed away the negative emotion and pushed forward the positive ones and let out a happy sigh when she was full with happiness and positivity.

When her feet met the soft grass she immediately burrowed them in the ground and wiggled her toes, but the sensation was cut short when she was abruptly grabbed by the arm by Grace. Her grip was strong and pressed down on the upper arm bracelet that she had made out of some random scrap metal pieces and had formed into the shape of vines twisting around her toned arm. "Grace" She whined slightly at the pain she was feeling. "Why are you grabbing me? It hurts"

"I'm grabbing you because you didn't listen to me. If you had come down when I told you to I wouldn't have had to grab you" Grace scolded her with a motherly tone to her, the same tone a parent used when their child did something they weren't supposed to do. Alva hated being treated like a child but everyone on Hell's Gate still kept treating her that way.

"I was talking to Eywa, she's upset." Alva explained with a barely there wince of discomfort of having her arm grabbed but her eyes remained the same with her normal dreamy look to them. "It's going to be a storm today, the fkio are leaving, can't you hear it? Her voice is thundering in the sky, warning us"

"There's not going to be a storm today, Alva. We're worried about you" The scientist declared to the other Avatar, concerned about the state of her mind and her, in their opinions, downwards spiral in terms of her sanity. Alva had always had her head in the cloud, that was the first thing everyone noticed when they met her, that and the breathy or airy tone to her voice that reminded them all of the singers of old or stereotypical fortune tellers. The more they got to know her the more they noticed that she wasn't like them, she often expressed herself in weird ways and was always happy.

"My auntie used to tell me that people who say that are full of shit, are you full of shit, Grace?" Alva's wide, innocent eyes stared right into Grace's stern eyes with the question burning between them. "I don't think you're full of shit but I don't know why you'd be worried about me. I'm perfectly fine."

"You're displaying a lot of red flags and we're worried that you'll continue this downwards spiral you're doing." Grace sighed and pinched her nose with two of her fingers. "You spend too much time alone, it's not healthy."

"I'm not alone, though. I have Eywa, and the animals, and the plants" The younger woman pointed out with a small smile on her lips to keep the dark thoughts, that threatened to invade her at the other woman's words, at bay. "If you let me out of my cage I'd be much happier."

The older woman sighed again, as she tended to do a lot when she was in the company of Alva, who in her opinion, was exhausting to be around. Grace found her childlike innocence, happy and optimistic nature too much to handle and often resorted to treating her like one would a disobedient child.

"You're not in a cage. For the last time, the fence is there to protect us, not to keep us here." Grace explained for what felt like the hundreth time and she begged that they would soon be inside the building so that she could go back to her human body and take a much needed nap.

"Then why can't I walk in the forest when I want to? I feel caged and I don't like cages"

"You can't walk in the forest alone because it's too dangerous. You'll be killed in only seconds, the fence is for your own protection." Grace exhaled deeply when they finally walked inside the avatar sleeping building and she let go of Alva as if the other woman had burnt her. "Now sleep, you have a busy day tomorrow"

"You're taking me out of the cage?" Alva squealed loudly which made the other drivers stop whatever they were doing and stare at her with annoyance clearly written on their faces.

Grace nodded and face palmed slightly, choosing not to comment on the cage part. Again.

AN: I'm challenging myself to make a 'innocent' and 'optimistic' character, so we'll see how that goes. Check out my other Avatar fanfic too, it's really different from this one!


	2. Chapter 2

"Freedom at last" Alva murmured with a happy grin on her face as she stared at the small blob on the ground that was Hell's Gate. She picked up the handful of seeds she had collected from inside the walls and shook them slightly in her hand. "Goodbye cage and hello freedom." She gentle turned her hand so that the various seeds tipped out up her cupped hand and fell down towards the green forest below them. 

Alva sat down on the flooring of the helicopter she was in and placed her legs over the edge. Her toes tingled from the height, making her smile, she had never been so high up before and so far she was loving it. The avatar began swinging her legs back and forth while staring at the flourishing forest beneath her feet. The seeds would hopefully land someplace they can grow into a beautiful plant, just as she would if she was allowed to leave her cage. 

She stared mesmerized at the different animals they flew by, the flying ones in different shapes and colors that would lean even the most beautiful and colorful animal back on earth green with envy, and the grazing animals on the ground that was both of magnificent size and so small that she could barely see them from where she was, even with the low height that they were flying at. She could see a flock of angtsìk drinking from a river, and she could see a lone yerik eagerly waiting for its turn behind the giant creatures. Alva sighed happily, Pandora for her was heaven. 

They flew over a great lake that was surrounded by green trees and a wide waterfall that provided a much needed break from the harsh sounds from the helicopter.The fkios that was flying over the lake next to them screeched at them, their purple skin making them stand out of from the rest of the green and blue of this part of the forest. Alva stretched out a hand towards the leader of the pack of bird like creatures and it screeched defiantly before gliding softly under the palm of her hand. The avatar beamed, her smile stretching from ear to ear. 

"Alva be careful!" Grace called out to her, her voice was just barely louder than the sound of the helicopter but Alva could hear her clearly through the communication devices they had. The older woman was stunned when she saw the animals coming to Alva and letting her touch them, that they came willingly. 

"They won't hurt me" Alva called back while pressing the button she had on her neck, her eyes were still fixated on the nature surrounding her. It was as if she had zoned out all of them and instead only saw Pandora. "See" She whispered and stroked a hand down the fkio's neck before it flew off to join its family that crooned softly at it. 

"Just because one of them is friendly doesn't mean all of them are." Grace warned in a harsh, scolding voice though the warning fell on deaf ears. The scientist had to physically restrain herself from reaching over and slapping Alva's hand away from touching everything that flew past or came up to her. "Are you going to do this with everything you see? What if you see a pack of hungry nantangs? Are you going to pet them too?"

"Silly Grace" Alva giggled, the sound light and breathy. She tucked her hands back to her sides but her legs kept kicking in tune to a song only she could hear. "I'm not stupid, of course I won't try to pet the hungry nantangs. I'll feed them instead!" She declared proud, her chest puffing up slightly and her chin turning up to the sky. 

All of the people in the helicopter facepalmed in unison, matching sighs filling the noisy air. Alva tuned them out, she had long since learnt that people didn't like her because of her being different and that they didn't understand her. People fear what they can't understand, her grandmother would always tell her after Alva came home upset because of other children or even teachers being mean to her. The pack of fkios flew away and the end of the clear blue water came. 

The avatars and humans flew past great big trees that were bigger than anything Alva had ever seen before, and she couldn't even imagine how big they were when she stood on the ground i front of one of them. She could just imagine seeing the dark bark with twinges off green to it and with vines, flowers and other things snaking along the branches and thick trunk of it. She wouldn't be able to see the end of it even if she craned her neck all the way, she imagined that all she would see was the trunk just going on forever. The trees below the taller trees looked like baby trees that were still growing and reaching for the sky but she knew that even those trees that looked small now were bigger than any tree on Earth. 

Trudy lowered the helicopter slightly to give them a better view of the talioangs that were crossing the watery ground in a big pack. Alva saw them before any of the others (with the exception of Trudy), which surprised her given that Grace had been an avatar much longer than her and should be much more attuned to her Na'vi senses. 

"Sturmbeest herd coming up on your right" Trudy informed the other drivers and her companion with a slight smirk tugging on her face. 

"Got it, thanks" Grace responded and pointed at said herd of sturmbeests, making Norm push his way past the only other human in the helicopter to get a glimpse of the animals before they fly past them. "Looks like the bull, a dozen cows and some juveniles" 

The bull bellowed loudly as if he could hear them talking about him and his impressive herd. They flew past the animals fast, giving Alva not a lot of time to watch the animals. She almost frowned at that but quickly pushed that away and replaced it with a grin because she had seen the animals. 

They flew down the waterfall and Alva had to physically restrain herself to keep herself from reaching out and touching the rushing water right in front of her face. If it had been just that one waterfall she could probably have done it, but Trudy decided to fly right next to the other waterfalls next to the one they went down from. This time she couldn't help herself from tentative hand out to sweep through the foamy water. 

"Alva!" Grace barked irritated at her, making her sheepishly smile at the woman and moved back inside the helicopter. Grace glared at her with a clear threat in her eyes. "Keep your hands and feet inside the helicopter" 

In response to the scolding Alva did a thumbs up, curled into a little ball on the floor and wrapped her arms and tail around herself. "Is this good enough?"

"Yes, now stay that way until we get to the ground" Grace snapped at the curled up avatar, while pinching the bridge of her nose in between two fingers. She hoped that they would land soon so that she wouldn't have to worry about Alva falling out of the helicopter and possibly kill her avatar. 

Alva tried to contain the giggle that was threatening to come out but little parts of it managed to sneak past her lips and out into the tense air. "I can't wait to land" 

\---

Some lone yerik hopped away from the spot Trudy had decided to land on. It was only now that Alva realised how big everything on Pandora really was. The helicopter that looked huge when in human form was nothing against even the smallest of trees on Pandora. The area that they landed in was green...and green... and more green. It was like they were stepping into an ocean of green and the only thing to break that green was brown tones on roots and trees. Alva wasn't complaining, she thought it was beautiful, and she was happy to be free of the cage that is Hell's Gate. She dreaded going back for now she knew freedom and would never come close to settling in captivity. 

It had gone quiet in the helicopter after Grace scolded Alva and the silence was only broken now by the sound of Jake loading his gun, not that Alva understood why he would ever need one, but she understood that not all could understand Pandora like her. 

As soon as the helicopter touched the ground both she and Jake jumped off the flying machine, with Jake immediately scouting the area with his gun loaded and ready to kill what he thought didn't deserve to live anymore. Alva on the other hand stretched her body, leaning backwards as far as she could go, which was far because of all her years of doing limbo dances on parties. She groaned her satisfaction after a several loud pops and cracks from her stiff limbs. "That was a nice one" She commented after a particularly loud one that felt like heaven when it popped. 

Next the only human except for the pilot jumped out of the helicopter and much like Jake had his gun raised and ready, only this one was human sized and looked as threatening as a baby ant wearing a hat. The grass that barely came up to the avatars waist, or in Alva's case, to her waist, reached almost all the way up to the human's neck. That little fact made Alva wonder what kind of protection he could actually provide against whatever threat Grace wanted to be protected against, maybe the Na'vi? but they would manage to kill them within seconds, with or without the human with the baby gun. 

Grace motioned for Trudy to shut down the helicopter but when she realised the pilot either didn't care to understand what she was doing or actually didn't see she pressed a hand to her communicator. "Shut it down. We're gonna stay a while."

Trudy obeyed and shut the noisy machine down which slowly made it less loud and less windy. Alva's hair fluttered and flew in the wind caused by the rotor blades and she sputtered slightly when some of her curls found their way into her mouth. 

"Norm! Your pack." Grace loudly told Norm who had forgotten his backpack on the helicopter. The scientist, and the other avatars (Except for Alva, who refused to change clothes) had changed into more fitting clothes, not that the new ones helped camouflaging them or anything. Grace had tied a piece of fabric, that was the same color as her shirt, and had tied it as a bandana. All the Avatars had changed into sand or beige colored clothes, and wore shoes for some reason that was beyond Alva. 

"Stay with the ship. One idiot with a gun is enough" Grace told the human who tried to follow them. She already had Jake, she didn't need more guns with her. 

"You the man, doc" The human muttered and walked back to stay with Trudy and the helicopter. 

Alva lightly pushed the man before following after the rest of the avatar gang that had already begun their walk, without telling her, might she add. She jogged past an already out of breath Norm who only looked at her with blank eyes that had just a little bit of a hint of frustration to them, and Grace who only stared at her with those stern eyes she always had. She walked calmly next to Jake who was looking tense and skittish, he told her ones that there was no such thing as an ex marine, and it was only now that she was slightly beginning to understand what he meant. 

She was tempted to scare him but reigned herself in, she didn't fancy getting herself shot on her first time outside of the prison walls. Bugs flew all around them but didn't seem interested in biting either of them, except for Jake who had a couple of bugs on him. As they walked further into the forest the more exotic things seemed to appear: two big red curly things that Alva thought looked exactly like a mix between a lobster tails and an octopus tentacle, and flowers of all different colors, some that she had never even thought could belong on a flower. 

The cooing of a syaksyuk made Jake flinch and direct his gun towards in one fast, practised movement. He followed the movement of the blue and green animal with cautious eyes. The prolemuris squealed and stared at the armed avatar while hanging onto a branch with its four arms, staring right into his souls with those big orange eyes. 

"Prolemuris. They're not aggressive" Grace told Jake and they both watched as the animals swung away from the scene. "Relax, marine. You're making me nervous" She snapped at him and pushed down his gun before pushing her way past him and took up the lead. 

"Why do you need guns anyways?" Alva asked after breaking away from the staring contest she had with one of the older syaksyuk whose curiosity for the avatar had made him stop midchew and stare right at her. 

"For protection" Grace almost snapped at the younger avatar but barely held it together. They had only been walking in the forest, or jungle, for about 15 minutes and she was already at the end of her patience with both Jake and Alva. 

Alva shook her head, she's safer than she had ever been and here they were talking about guns being protection? Even she knew that those guns wouldn't do anything against barely anything on Pandora, much less the things that would actually attack them. "Protection against what? Why would anything attack us?"

"Listen, Alva, I don't know what people told you but Pandora is a very dangerous place." Jake butted in before Grace could, which earned him a look that he assumed was the closest to gratitude he would ever receive from the stone cold woman. 

"I don't get it" Alva responded but after the look they all sent her she swallowed the rest of her question and instead chose to skip ahead of them. 

After awhile of silence, one that that group seemed to fall into a lot, Norm decided to ask a question that had been burning in his mind. "So, how will they know we're here"

Alva who was battling to crawl under a low fallen branch stopped momentarily in her pursuit to get to the other side but after hearing the question she wiggled on. It was obvious that the Na'vi already knew they were there. It's not like you can just wander around in their forest without them knowing it, they could kill them whenever they wanted and they would never see it coming. Alva perked up after the almost bad thought and instead focused on the part where the Na'vi was near. It sent a thrilling sensation down to her stomach and every one of her nerves prick with the sensation of being watched. 

"I'm sure they're watching us right now." Grace replied and Alva nodded her head in agreement but didn't comment so the rest probably didn't even notice. Grace was pushing away branches from her face but never once did her eyes stop wandering around them, searching for Na'vi or other animals that might prove interesting. Despite how much of an expert people claimed Grace to be of Pandora, Alva could see that while Grace knew more about all of them she still wasn't an expert or even close to one. You could only be an expert if you lived lived on Pandora, like one of the animals or Na'vi. 

"Keep moving, Norm" Jake told the avatar who was falling behind from the group. "You too, Alva"

Alva, who had just managed to squeeze herself out on the other side of the branch grinned at the man, showcasing her pearly whites and nodded fervently. "Sir, yes, sir" She even laid a hand to her forehead in a salute as she said the cliché sentence. She skipped over to where they were walking and mocked the serious look Jake had on his face and then chuckled at the sour look he sent her in return. 

Grace was already ahead of them by the time they were walking faster. "Keep up, guys!" The oldest of the avatar called back to them enthusiastically. 

When Alva and the boys catched up to her she was already drooling over one of the roots she had found on one of the big trees in the area they were in. She had pulled out a big syringe looking thing that was connected to the tablet that Norm had in his backpack that would show them how the inside of the root looked. 

Alva didn't pay any attention to what they were doing and was instead dancing around the forest, lifting rocks and climbing on branches that she thought looked interesting and pretty. She had no idea why they chose her to go with them, she contributed with literally nothing, she didn't have a gun, which meant she couldn't protect them against their imaginary threat, and she wasn't into science so she didn't have any science training, which meant that she couldn't help them with that either. She had no idea why she was there, not that she was complaining, of course. 

"Where are you going, Jake?" She asked him suddenly, hanging down from a branch above him. She had noticed he was walking away as soon as Norm and Grace started talking science and she couldn't help her curiosity. 

"Jesus christ!" He whisper-yelled at her when she dropped down in front of him. "I'm just going to check over here for any threats" 

She danged in the branch by her tail now and swung back and forth like one of the animals she had once seen in a movie back on earth. A monkey? Maybe, she couldn't remember what it was. Alva reached out for this shoulders and pulled herself closer to him before she opened her mouth to reply. "Can I join you? They're talking science and I don't know that language"

Jake blew out some air from his nose, making Alva wrinkle her nose in confusion as to why that would be his reaction. "Sure, but you have to stay close to me. Got it?"

"Got it" 


	3. Chapter 3

"So what are we doing?" Alva asked Jake once she dropped down to the ground in one fluid movement. Jake compared her gratefulness to that of a feline mixed with the flexibility and climbing skills of a monkey. 

"We're still checking for threats" Jake repeated what he had just told the other avatar a few seconds ago. He took ahold of her hands that were still on his shoulders and gently peeled them off him. 

"Are we exploring?" Her eyes became impossibly wider and glittering at the prospect of exploring Pandora. First she got to leave her cage and now she was going to explore? This day just kept getting better and better. 

"No." Jake grunted and turned away from her with a moody swing of his body. "We are not exploring. We are securing the perimeter." He emphasized the 'we' and 'not' to really get his point forward but when the light in her eyes didn't dim in the least bit he realised that he was fighting a one-sided battle. 

She squealed again and pushed past him as if she hadn't heard a word he had just told her. He briefly heard the word 'adventure' before she had run past him and round the corner. Jake sighed before following her with long strides and a readied gun, one never know what's waiting for you on Pandora. 

Alva rushed towards the helicoradians or Loreyu in na'vi. It was her first time seeing the plants in real life and it was even more stunning than she had ever imagined. She understood now why the Na'vi called them 'beautiful spiral', for it was just that, a beautiful spiral of orange. She thought back to her botany class while in avatar training and remembered a fascinating fact about the plants, their self-defense mechanism was both fascinating and adorable. 

"Watch this" She called back to the avatar who was busy checking his surroundings to have noticed what Alva was currently doing. Not that he could do anything about it, that is. 

Once she had his attention she turned back to the plant with a grin, she couldn't wait to do this in real life. Alva reached out to the plant with her index finger and gently pressed down on the spirally lead, making the plant coil up and retracting down to the ground. She giggled at the shocked gasp Jake let out and turned around to face him. 

"C'mon, have some fun" She grinned and gestured to the other spiral plants. "Grace won't know, she's all the way over there with Norms" She twirled around in the field, making at least 5 or 7 of the large plants recoil down to the ground with a 'splosh' sound. 

Jake shook his head and laughed before joining her, pressing down on all the plants he could reach. He only had enough time to press down on two more of the plants before they all retracted into the ground, something that stopped Alva's wandering hands but not her dancing. 

The helicoradians disappeared and gave way for the giant angtsìk that trumpeted at them in warning. Alva stopped her dancing and instead climbed up in one of the trees besides the field of spirals. In a few pulls of her strong arms and agile jumps she was high enough up in the tree that the hammerhead titanothere wouldn't be able to touch her even if it got up on its hind legs. 

She looked down and saw Jake still standing shocked in the middle of the field, staring right at the obviously territorial animal. She was tempted to holler down at him but she would much rather see what he would do to defend himself. Alva crouched down on the branch and wrapped her tail around the branch to keep her steady as she leaned over the edge of it to get a better view of what was going on. 

The animal quieted down but Alva saw that it was no less agitated than it was before and it lunged slightly forward in a territorial display that was missed on Jake. The dreamwalker raised his gun again and he too took a few steps forward. Bad choice, she grinned, now you've put on a challenge. 

"Don't shoot. Don't shoot, you'll piss him off" She heard Grace's voice through her communication device. Alva's eyes snapped towards where Grace and Norm was hiding behind one of the trees. 

The angtsìk trumpeted again and bashed its hammer like head against the trees besides it, trying to show the dominance it had. Jake looked on uncertain but with his gun held high and ready. "It's already pissed off" He shot back with fear and uncertainty in his voice. 

"Jake, that armor's too thick. Trust me" Grace warned, while still hiding behind the tree next to the avatar. Alva couldn't help but think under what circumstances Grace found out about that, and why they would even bring a gun if it couldn't protect them. 

Jake pulled his gun up and stepped back with a gasp as the animal came even closer to him while grunting and ripping up trees along the way. "It's a territorial threat display." Grace informed Jake with thinly hidden stress in her voice. "Do not run, or he'll charge" 

At those words Jake's head snapped towards her with disbelief clear on his face and in his voice. The only thing he could resort to now was sarcasm. "So, what do I do, dance with it?" 

Alva looked at the interaction with curious eyes from her tree. He can't run but he also can't stay there. If he ran the animal would charge at him but if he stayed it would keep seeing him as a threat and also charge. It was a lose-lose situation, and Alva knew that Jake wasn't smart enough, yet, to think his way out of it. He wasn't used to his body or to Pandora, he was still too human. 

"Just hold your ground" Grace offered Jake but her voice that was supposed to give him confidence wavered and shook. 

The hammerhead trumpeted again and then charged with long powerful lunges. The sudden action made Jake throw all his instincts out of the window and responded to the charge with a scream and him sprinting towards it. He hadn't heard the growl, but Alva had and her eyes had already snapped over to where she could see the palulukan lurking behind Jake. 

"Palulukan" She whispered in awe, the mighty predator was her favorite animal on Pandora. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She watched as the lithe muscles flexed underneath the black skin with a purplish hue to it. Alva stared right into its eyes, noting the intelligence it showed and the planning it was making. She wasn't sure if it was going to go for Jake or one of the hammerheads but time would tell. 

"Yeah? Come on! What you got? Oh yeah. Who's bad? That's right" He taunted the hammerhead with a cocky posture and voice, still unaware of the threat lurking behind him, stalking his every move and every step. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, bitch. That's right, get your punk ass back to mommy. " He called after it when it ran away from the palulukan that had now creeped up so it was almost breathing down his neck. 

Alva leaned even more forward in interest when she noticed that the predator still hadn't attacked him and that neither Grace or Norm had noticed it creeping up on the guy they were supposed to be guiding through a would-be disaster. 

"Yeah? Yeah, you got nothing. You keep running." Jake even took some steps backwards after finishing the sentence and Alva held her breath when the palulukan raised its quills in preparation of something. "Yeah, and why don't you bring back some of your friends, huh?" It was only after finishing his last taut that he noticed the soft snarling coming from behind him and he tensed up before slowly turning around to face the palulukan behind him. 

Alva held her breath and a small awed gasp was drawn from her when the cat-like predator roared and leaped over its soon-to-be prey. She saw Jake's eears laying themselves flat against his ears in fear of the animal leaping over him. 

"Oh shit" He cursed and turned around to follow the jump while raising his gun again to point directly at the big beast of an animal. 

Alva watched as the hammerheads formed a strong wall and roared back at the palulukan who was searching for a weak link. The avatar gently let go off the branch so she was hanging by her tail before grabbing hold of the branch underneath her with her feet and plopping down on it without making a sound. This she needed to see. She giggled again, this time more breathy and husky than the others, as she stared at the shocked and scared look on Grace and Norm's faces. The older woman was pushing Norm behind her while keeping her eyes firmly planted on the palulukan. It wasn't feared by everyone without a reason, its name did mean dry mouth bringer of fear for a very good reason. 

After realising that there wasn't a weak link to slip past, the palulukan turned back to where Jake was standing , which made Jake panic and shaking. "So what about this one? Run? Don't run? What?" 

The predator creeped closer to Jake who had yet to move out of his place. Alva dropped down another branch and then another so that she was on the ground again. She was not going to sit this one out, Eywa was warning her off a hunt and she was going to see it all. She pressed herself close to the tree with her tail flaring giddily behind her. 

"Run! Definitely run!" Grace yelled at him, her voice begging him to run away before she lost another avatar to Pandora. As much as she didn't care for Jake she didn't want him to die, just like how she hoped that Alva was safe wherever she was. 

Jake turned around and started rushing out of the small clearing with the thanator at his heel. 

Alva slipped out from where she had been lurking behind the tree and swaggered over the clearing, ignoring the stunned looks that Grace and Norm gave her. "Goodbye, I'll see you later, nature's calling" She giggled at her own pun before she started jogging off from the scene off extreme tension. She could only imagine the confusion and fear Grace was feeling right now, but Alva only cared about seeing what was going to happen to Jake and exploring as much as possible before she's thrown back into the cage. 

\--- 

It wasn't until nightfall that she found Jake again, sure she had looked for him but she got distracted by...everything. The forest was even more beautiful and mesmerizing during the night. The green and brown colors of the day was gone, and replaced with neon lights reflected in the bioluminescent patterns of the ground and plants around her. Bright greens, pinks, reds, blues, all colors one could imagine was illuminating her path as she wandered around in the great forest. 

A kenten flew by her, lighting up her face in a faint purple glow. She grinned when the lizard spun away to join some other kentans on a branch on a tree on her right. The lizard made a soft greeting sound that broke the silence that had fallen over Alva. Of course the forest wasn't all quiet, you could hear some growling, yowling, and other animal made sounds, but the kentan sound made a nice break from the tense atmosphere she was in. 

Alva had no idea how Grace and the rest of them would react once they realised that she had run off, or how Selfridge back on base would feel about it. That man usually breathed down her neck whenever he could, trying to micromanage her every move. Family will do that to you. 'Adopted' he would argue, point his index finger at her and give her that one look that's an odd mix between disappointed and indifferent (a look that she had only seen him give anyone)whenever she used the family card. 

She snickered slightly when she thought about the scolding that she would without a doubt recieve when she went out of her avatar body. Maybe they'll give me house arrest, or maybe I won't be able to link for a month. It was worth it, she mused to herself, and she would do it again if she could. A life behind bars isn't a life she wants to live. 

"What's he doing?" The avatar asked herself when she watched Jake dip a long stick with the top of it wrapped with stripes of fabric from his shirt. Alva heard the growls and yaps from the nantangs that surrounded him, but she suspected that he wasn't paying attention. If he did he would know that he was currently turning his back on a pack of hungry predators that were going to rip him to shreds if he wasn't careful. "Looks like the pack of hungry nantangs are getting fed" She snickered with an amused smirk on her face. 

She shook her hands slightly, listening to the soft sounds of the bracelets clicking together that instantly calmed her down. Alva was trying to pay attention to what Jake was doing but her mind kept wandering or she got distracted by her surrounding. One second he was trying to light up the torch and the next thing she knows he's getting attacked by nantangs. The avatar shook her head, grabbed a hold of the vines next to her and squeezed them until her knuckles and fingers turned a very pale shade of blue. 

Jake scrambled backwards when he noticed all of the eyes glinting in the darkness and Alva moved along with them, only she was also hiding in the darkness. Her eyes were one of the many lurking in the darkness. Her skin prickled and if she was human goosebumps would have formed on her arms, they were being watched. She climbed over a low hanging root without making sudden movements or loud noises. 

Jake disappeared when he made a sharp right turn but Alva easily found him again after climbing up a short but sturdy tree that handled her weight without a problem. Alva muffled a snicker at Jake's misfortune when he couldn't even last five minutes in the dark without attracting animals, whereas she had lasted that time and more, while stalking him, without making her presence known to either party. She wasn't arrogant enough to assume that the Na'vi hadn't noticed her though, no, she was sure that they were watching her right now the very same way that she was watching Jake. 

Jake swung his lit torch from side to side, making sure to point it threateningly at those that came too close for his liking, but wherever he turned there was always more. They had surrounded him, Alva noted, they have the advantage. High-pitched growls echoed around the two avatars and Jake threw away the torch and brandished his long knife instead. 

Alva's eyes wandered to the darkness behind him where she could see something silver glinting. Her eyes widened and mouth curled up in an excited lopsided grin that one could associate with a grinning puppy. The rest of her surroundings faded and all she could see was that one spot behind all the action that was calling her name. 

She dropped down on the ground in a crouch and a small sting in her feet from the high fall. Alva took a slow step forward and then leaped up on the branch that was in her way, making sure to grab onto it with her hands and tail so she wouldn't fall back down. 

\--- 

The silver that had lured her away turned out to be a big piece of metal that she suspected came from one of the many helicopters they had flying around this area. She would have lost Jake if not for his loud, booming voice. 

She was laying flat against a branch that curled out from a big tree just above where Jake and the mysterious Na'vi woman that had presumably saved him from the nantangs. Her heart ached for the poor souls that lost their lives because of his actions, but she would have ached more if Jake had been the one who died. 

The forest was much more colorful here compared to where Jake had fought with the viperwolves, the ground lit up in turquoise in the shape of your footsteps, and all the surrounding plants glowed in purples, blues and pinks. It was also just now that Alva realised that her dots shone even stronger now compared to when she was behind the fence. It made a stark contrast between her light shade of blue and the bright white of the dots. She even found a couple of new ones that she hadn't seen before: a bundle of them that were hiding on her knuckles in the shape of a crooked circle. All around her she was surrounded by the colors, the darkness of some parts of the forest a mere memory as she basked in the bioluminescent colors. 

The Na'vi and avatar that she was watching stepped out on a fallen tree that she couldn't follow them on unless she wanted to be discovered by them. It was a miracle that she hadn't been yet. She's probably busy with Jake, Alva thought to herself with a toothy grin. 

While she was taking in her surroundings and getting lost in her head she didn't notice that both Jake and the woman had walked away from where she had last seen them. "Shit" She cursed and scrambled to her feet. This was not a good place to be alone on, especially being a dreamwalker that they would kill on sight. 

Alva climbed down from her branch and stomped her feet in the ground with arms crossed over her legs, looking every bit a child that people saw her as. Alva sighed and shook her left hand to hear the soothing sound of her jewelry. It only took a few clangs before she calmed down and the dark feelings retreated back to where they lurked inside of her. With a smile that had the slight twinge of force to it she ran over the same bridge that Jake had done a few minutes before her. 

The tree lit up her footsteps when she swaggered over it like a woman on a mission, which she was. Her strides were long, fast and confident. When she came to the end of it she threw a glance behind her just to make sure no one was following her, and to her relief she couldn't see anyone or anything that she deemed a threat. Something had happened on that bridge, she could feel it in her heart and soul. A sign, the woods whispered to her, a sign from Eywa. 

A sudden yelp in the air coupled with hoots and laughs made her snap her head up to where she thought it would be. There was no doubt that that panicked, surprised yelp came from Jake, and the hoots had to belong to the Na'vi. They had discovered him and they were not happy. 

There were many of them, Alva realised when she heard a lot of varying sounds that belonged to different voices, some masculine and deep, and some higher-pitched and feminine. She pushed her legs harder but still maintained an almost silent run, it wouldn't do if they caught her too, she didn't have a Na'vi protecting her like Jake did. She rushed past flowers of pinks, vines of dull purple, buzzing insects and all sorts of things as she tried to get to Jake before something really bad happened. She had no idea what she would do once she got there but if it wasn't bad then she would only watch like she had done before. 

She heard them before she saw them, a big number of Na'vi surrounded Jake, some of them on pa'li and some of them on the ground. Her sprint turned into a slow, crouched walk that she had practiced so many times as a kid when she would play with her family and friends. This was no different than that, she assured herself, nothing bad will happen if you don't get caught. 

She dropped down to her stomach and pulled herself to the ledge of the stone she had found that had the perfect overlook on the scene happening below her. Jake stood in the middle of the Na'vi circle with his hands raised into the air while chuckling nervously. Alva spotted the leader of the group, a tall Na'vi mounted on one of the pa'li. He had his hair braided into small, thin braids, with some of them covered in a orange-red coating, and the rest of his head shaved. She couldn't see much of his face or front because her stone was right behind him. The fact that she was spying on them unnoticed almost made her giggle out loud but she quickly slapped her hands over her mouth. 

She stared at his necklace with fascination in her eyes, it looked like it was made out of wood and decorated with pearls but she couldn't be sure. Alva had to get closer than that to fully take in what he looked like. His build was big, strong and toned with wide shoulders that hid incredible strength, and a narrow waist. 

" **Calm...Calm** " The Na'vi she had seen with Jake earlier hissed at her people, but Alva could only understand two out of the three words. After she was done talking she turned to face the leader, and Alva. 

The leader that she had been observing dismounted from his pa'li and disconnected the tsaheylu in one graceful, fluid movement that left her in awe. He had something covering his ribs, Alva noted and leaned forward. She couldn't see what it was but she was going to find out, she always did. The leader walked towards the woman in long strides and a slight sway in his upper body. 

" **What...doing, Tsu'tey?** " The Na'vi woman asked the leader, Tsu'tey, while pacing in front of Jake. It was almost as if she was trying to shield or protect him from the other Na'vi. Strange, Alva remarked. 

" **These.....forbidden...** " Tsu'tey bit back with his tail swishing aggressively behind him. He had the most interesting dot pattern, especially on his tail and shoulders. Alva could only imagine how the rest of his pattern looked like, but she was sure it was just as, if not more, interesting as the parts she saw now. 

" **There has been... sign. This is... for.. Tsahìk** " Jake's protector answered defiantly to Tsu'tey with her head pushed forward and eyes staring right into his. 

Alva's eyes widened, she knew there had been a sign. She felt it, but she never would have imagined that the sign happened to Jake. She focused her eyes on him and it was almost as if she felt a shift in him, a shift that could only come from Eywa 

. " **Bring him.** " Tsu'tey relented after staring at the pair who were defying the clan's rules. He turned back around to his pa'li and Alva was shocked when she first noticed his face. 

It was only for a short while but she noticed his eyes, big and golden just like the rest of the Na'vi but she looked beyond that. She saw the pain behind them, the haunting memories, she saw anger, but she also saw happiness and love. Right now they were narrowed and angry but they that didn't take away any of the beauty she saw in him.


	4. Chapter 4

Alva pushed herself up to the top edge of the cliff she was hanging onto, making sure to press herself as closely as possible to avoid getting seen by the Na'vi hunters that were coming after the first party. She was forced to take a small swim to get to the other side of the lake to avoid the Na'vi. She was shivering in the gentle breeze that caressed her wet body, the warm water laying just a short fall beneath her called after her but she ignored the allure. 

Her eyes were wide as saucers and her jaw had dropped to the ground. She was at the hometree of the Omaticaya, she had actually managed to sneak past them and into their homes. Her chest puffed slightly and suddenly the cold didn't bother her as much anymore. There weren't as many bioluminescent plants here as before but the ground still lit up, which made it harder for her to sneak after them if they could see her footprints. Nonetheless she was determined to take a step further and make it into the hometree and watch over Jake, who she was going to take care of before knowing that Eywa had given them a sign about him. Alva suspected that they were going to have some sort of a trial and then determine his fate, for both of their sakes she prayed to Eywa that they wouldn't kill him. It would be hard for her to explain why she didn't try to save him, and she would feel guilty that she was part of the reason he lost his avatar.

Just as she had imagined during the helicopter ride, this tree was bigger than anything she had ever seen in her entire life. It towered over everything else she could see, the pa'li who towered over the Na'vi looked like little specks of dust compared to the great width and height of the hometree. It was supported by mangrove-like roots that twisted around the base. She could just barely see the crown of the tree from her position but it still managed to stun her. Grace's books told her that the hometree was actually several trees of the same kind that had grown together but it was hard to believe once you saw the tree in person. She couldn't tell where one begun or ended. 

The last pa'li riding Na'vi rode past her and she took that as her cue to begin the last step to getting into the Omaticaya hometree in which Jake was being held. Alva took a deep breath, her lips curling up at the thought of finally walking among them as one of them, even if it was just pretend on her part. She would have to stick to the back or they would recognise her as not one of the clan members, hopefully she could pull it off or she was going to have a lot to explain and possibly be killed. She grunted and pulled herself up over the ledge of the now muddy ground. Her clothes were dirty beyond recognition which was good, that way the Na'vi wouldn't notice the human fabric or print on it. For once in her life her being dirty was going to help her. Her first step was shaky but after a few tentative steps it stopped and her steps became the confident walk that she always had. Her tail flicked behind her and her dots beamed stronger, especially the ones on her face. The coloring of the area around the hometree was all various shades of blue, her favorite color.

Alva skipped down to the trail, not even attempting to hide anymore. None of the Na'vi would suspect she was a dreamwalker because of several reasons: one being that dreamwalkers were forbidden there, two being that she acted like them and was hiding her hands so they wouldn't see her extra finger. She could vaguely see the Jake and his captives running at the end of the trail and into the hometree. 

She continued her skipping with her fingers tucked into the waist of her muddy shorts while humming an old Na'vi melody she had learnt during her training. The natives that stood around the trail looked at her for a moment and then looked away, muttering about her being odd. The looks they gave her was like those you give your neighbor that you faintly recognise but still find weird. 

The closer she got to the hometree the louder she could hear the chattering of the natives, and could even see the outlines of the crowd that were standing about in the hollow entrance of their home. She gave a low whistle, this would be her ultimate test. Muddy or not, she had to stick to the shadows and not talk to anyone. Her poor na'vi would immediately blow her cover if someone talked to her or she had to talk to someone. 

Alva jogged the rest of the way, she wanted to blend in with the crowd before they centered too much around Jake. She wiped her hands down her body to try and get rid of some of the mud that painted her blue skin in brown and green. She was almost there now, her steps quickened and heart pumped faster. This was it. All or nothing. 

Her fast steps slowed down to a brisk walk when she was just by the entrence and she slipped in to the side of the biggest gap between roots. Her head nodded and bowed to some of the villagers who greeted her and she threw some smiles at the children who grinned at her. She could see Jake now, he was being herded towards the front of the hollow, a Na'vi held him by his tswin. Her scalp itched at the bare thought of someone grabbing ahold of hers and threatening it with a knife that sharp. 

She had dropped any objects she carried that were of human design way back, almost immediately after running away from Grace. All she had on her person was her clothing and jewelry, who was surprisingly still on her. The natives gave her some weird looks when they saw how much jewelry and decorations she had on but she just let them all glide off her, though her tail lifted almost like the hackles would on an agitated cat. Most of their attention was on Jake, a fact she was grateful for because she wasn't sure she would ever be able to do something like this if their attention wasn't focused on the anomaly that was Jake Sully. 

Alva slipped past several of the Na'vi and stood near the front of the crowd but far enough back that she wouldn't be given any attention by the higher ups. Her eyes were drawn to Tsu'tey as soon as she stopped moving, he was talking to the Olo'eyktan, probably informing him about Jake. The clan leader had a shoulder covering that consisted of some kind of feathers or fabric in different colors that gave him the impression of even wider and stronger shoulders. His hair was long and braided into individual braids, some of which were tied up in some kind of bun and some that hung down his back, it was all held back by a headpiece with a bone-like decoration that Alva briefly saw hanging down his forehead. 

Her wrist begun shaking but no sound came from her bracelets that were trapped beneath a thick layer of mud. Her dreamy looking eyes widened slightly but she took a few calming breaths that made them get back to the normal size. Her eyes were drawn to Tsu'tey's chest, which was strong, toned and filled with shining dots. The patterns calmed her down as she traced some of her own while counting his. 

" **Father** " She heard the Na'vi who had saved Jake from being killed by Tsu'tey greet someone. In response to the voice the Olo'eytukan turned around with a disapproving look already plastered on his face. " **I see you** " She continued and made the traditional sign to what appeared to be her father. That would make her... Alva's eyes widened in amusement and a smile tugged at her face. Jake's savior was Neytiri, the daughter of the leader of the Omaticaya. 

The Na'vi leader walked down the steps to his daughter with his eyes firmly locked on Jake, who stood behind Neytiri. He scoffed slightly at the sight of him and Jake in return forced a small smile on his face and then nodded at the man he recognised as the leader. His years as a marine had given him the experience and knowledge to point out a leader of a group after just a short while, and the Olo'eytukan was definitely the leader. 

" **This..**." The leader begun once he had inspected Jake some. " **Why...you...him here?** " He asked his daughter with the question hanging tensely in the air around them. Alva pressed herself closer to the front but still stayed behind some other natives. 

" **I...to kill him** "Neytiri defended herself and pointed her fingers to her her upper ribs, emphasizing that she was going to do it. " **But there....sign...Eywa** " She told her father almost defiantly in terms of tone but kept her head low and submissive. 

" **I...said no dreamwalker....here** " He scolded her and Alva could almost feel the underlying pain in his voice. 

"What's he saying?" Jake asked Neytiri in a soft voice after shrugging his shoulders. His clothing was ripped and he had dark circles under his eyes that made him look utterly exhausted. 

" **His alien...fills my nose** " The Olo'eytukan continued his little speech that had all of the natives attention, the last sentence a clear mocking that many natives chuckled at. Alva couldn't help the amused giggle from slipping out and it filled the air along with the other. Even Tsu'tey chuckled at the clear insult, and Alva thought he looked much better this way, happy and without a frown. 

"Hey, what's he saying?" Jake tried again, he had a feeling they were laughing at him and he didn't like it. 

"My father is deciding whether to kill you." Neytiri translated, her good pronunciation surprised Alva. She had expected broken english and a thick accent, maybe the Na'vi woman had gone to Grace's school before it closed down. 

A Na'vi pushed Alva slightly in an attempt to get past her but she shoved him back with an annoyed hiss, making sure to keep her hands still hidden. Her tail flared behind her and her ears flattened against her head. The Na'vi glanced at her and then backed off. 

"Your father. It's nice to meet you, sir" Jake murmured and approached the leader with his hand outstretched in what he expected to be a greeting. Alva snickered at him when she saw the movement. 

Alva sniggered when all of the Na'vi jumped towards him with matching hisses flying from their mouths. The one who caught her eyes the most, was Tsu'tey who lunged towards Jake with his mouth open, showcasing his sharp, elongated canines. A Na'vi besides Jake put a knife against his throat and another a hand to keep him away from their leader. 

Among the chaos a strong, husky but yet feminine voice boomed in na'vi. Alva couldn't understand what exactly she was saying but even she felt the need to stand down and calm down. Her eyes snapped to where a new figure walked down the spiral stairs that stood in the middle of the hollow. She had a kind of long, red and pink poncho like clothing that fell over her torso and blended with her loincloth. She had a headpiece on that connected with the object hanging down her breasts that had a knife attached to it. Her tswin was braided into the hanging piece and the rest of her hair was short, braided and fell down her shoulders. 

" **I...look...this alien** " The new Na'vi demanded with authority clear in her voice as she walked down to where Jake and Neytiri stood. Her face was blank and unreadable. 

"That is mother. She is Tsahìk. The one who interprets the will of Eywa" Neytiri explained to Jake with her head bowed down. Alva noticed that Neytiri avoided looking directly up at her mother who was inspecting Jake much like her father had. 

"Who's Eywa?" Jake asked and Alva snorted with wide, shocked eyes. She couldn't believe that Jake didn't even know who that was, it was impossible to avoid. Or she thought it was, but Jake proved her wrong. 

The Tsahìk walked behind Jake, lifted up his heavy braid and then let it flop back down. She was inspecting him closely. Next she grabbed his tail and swung it around her hand before she let that flop down as well. "What are you called?" The matriarch asked Jake with a heavy accent to her otherwise good english. 

"Jake Sully" 

The Na'vi woman reached up and pulled the knife from its holster and pricked him with it in one of his wounds. He grunted but made no other moves. The Tsahìk brought the thin knife knife, or rather pointy stick, to her mouth and tasted the blood she had taken. 

"Why did you come to us?" She asked Jake loudly. So loud that her voice echoed in the crowded hollow. 

"I came to learn" Jake responded in a soft voice. His voice spoke of his exhaustion and Alva almost felt bad for him if it wasn't for the fact that he got to be with the Na'vi without hiding and had gotten a sign from Eywa herself. 

"We have tried to teach other Sky People. It is hard to fill a cup which is already full." The Tsahìk spoke, her voice now much softer and quieter. She was still staring right into Jake's eyes. 

Jake bristled slightly and Alva almost laughed at the statement. Jake didn't even have a cup yet, so it was impossible that his could possibly be full. "Well, my cup is empty, trust me." He let a small grin show on his face. "Just ask Dr. Augustine. I'm no scientist" 

Alva nodded, but neither was she. She was almost less of a scientist than Jake was, but she knew other things that they didn't. The avatar zoned out from the conversation that was happening in front of her and instead daydreamed about exploring the forest outside of the hometree, or how it would feel to be one of the people. A dreamy smile grew on her face and her eyes became unfocused as she retreated back into her mind. 

She was brought out of her thoughts at the loud snarl of annoyance that suddenly broke the quiet air. Alva shook her head slightly and tried to understand what was going on, but the spoken na'vi was hard for her to understand. 

"It is decided. My daughter will teach you our ways" The Tsahìk told Jake, which surprised Alva. They were going to teach him? She had expected them to let him go free or at least rough him up, not that they were going to teach him their ways. A small speck of envy grew in her mind but she quickly pushed it down with a wave of happiness for him. She would never let herself fall victim to envy, much less over one of her friends. "Learn well, Jakesully. Then we will see if your insanity can be cured." 

At the last sentence Alva let out a sound that was a mix between a cackle and a giggle, his human insanity would be easy to cure. She could see it in him, the urge to be free just like this opportunity would give him. She wondered what would happen if she revealed herself now to them but she shook her head and pushed the thought away. No time for such thoughts. 

That was her cue to leave and she turned around and pushed her way through the thick crowd of natives, making sure not to step on anyone or push into them too hard. Her heart felt light and filled with joy, somehow this just seemed like the beginning and that Jake's training was the key to her and his freedom. 

Once she got out from the hometree she scouted the area and spotted a big tree, smaller than the hometree but still big enough to comfortably sleep in without being detected by any early-rising natives. 

Alva jogged over to the tree that had several glowing mushrooms and vines on it that would make the dark night a lighter place for her. It took maybe two or three pushes and jumps for her to reach the hollow in the tree that she was planning on sleeping in. She could almost hear Grace's scolding about her choice in hiding, but it's not like there's any safer place around. The avatar wasn't even supposed to be there, Jake had been the only exception since the school closed and she highly doubted that they would let her stay there. 

She crawled into the hole in the tree and comfortably stretched out in the small hollow. Though the height of it was low she could still lay outstretched without bumping into the other side of the tree, which she considered a win. Plus, the small height of it would better hide her from predators and natives. 

She chuckled breathlessly at the situation she was in but she had no regrets at all. She was more than happy to be where she was, and she thanked Eywa that she had allowed Alva to get there without much trouble. No, Alva would never be able to live the same way behind bars, not when she had experienced freedom. 


	5. Chapter 5

"What were you thinking, huh?" Grace barked fiercely at Alva once she walked into the cafeteria the next morning. Her face was pulled up into a face of pure annoyance and her eyes narrowed into fiery slits. 

Alva rubbed her eyes before her features twisted up into a sleepy yawn. Her sock clad feet gently pitter-patter on the cold steel covered floor in the base kitchen. If it wasn't for the gentle clicking from her jewelry Grace wouldn't have heard her coming, the younger woman didn't make a lot of sounds except for the sound her jewelry made when she moved them, so it was easy for Alva to sneak around the base. "Adventure" Her throaty voice whispered with wide eyes that were still full of sleep. "I was thinking freedom from the cage, and I took it." 

"Freedom? There is no cage, Alva!" Grace almost groaned out with a hand slapped onto her forehead. "Not to mention the face that you've had almost no training or experience of being outside of the fences. What you did was irresponsible and dangerous. You could have killed your Avatar!" The scientist continued heatedly, her hand wavering around in the air in exasperated circles. 

Alva tutted gently in response to Grace's scolding, shifted her shirt slightly to cover more of her left shoulder and threw a calm grin to Grace as if everything was going to be alright. "There will come a day when you realise that it's a cage, and when that day comes I'll be the first one to welcome you out of it." Her eyes twinkling and sparkling with joy. "I was never in any danger. Eywa protected me, and so she shall keep doing until my energy and soul is brought back in her tender care" 

The head scientist sighed and debated if it was worth commenting on her blind faith in the Na'vi deity. Sure, she believed Eywa existed but not to the extent that Alva did. "You need to be more careful or that day will come sooner than you think. You should be thanking me for not telling your brother"

Alva giggled, rose to the tips of her feet and then went back down again. She repeated the movement a few times, making a thick silence drape over the cafeteria that none seemed to escape. "No, silly. My avatar is safe, hidden and secure. I don't even have a bruise from yesterday, and I'm in the heart of Omaticaya territory." Her short, kinky hair bopped in tune with her head. 

The avatar driver dragged her feet behind her as she walked over to the crowded table Grace, Norm, Jake and a few other drivers sat at. Her bracelets shook, making a soft clicking sound and then stopped after she plopped down on the bench with a beaming smile on her face. "Thank you for not telling my brother." 

"You're with the clan too?" Jake asked stunned, his eyes confused and narrowed. He'd just endured the rest of the people at the table teasing him and that had been fine, but somehow it took away slightly from his accomplishments that she too was with the Na'vi. "I didn't see you, did you have your... thing after me?" 

Alva burst out laughing as if what he just told her was ridiculous. Her whole face lit up but her eyes kept some of the mysterious, vacant look in them that gave him the impression that she wasn't all there and that her 'head was in the clouds'. "No, Jake. I sneaked in" She shrugged after her laughter died down and was instead replaced with a teasing grin that stretched her lips into a gentle curl. "I was there all along, hidden and protected by the shadows. Nice handshake" Alva elaborated in a manner that was almost aloof but still held that breathy and dreamy tone to it. 

"Alva..." Grace's voice held a warning tone to it. "You sneaked into Omaticaya territory? What if they caught you, what if you had been seen?" Her words didn't hold the same bite as her previous lecture, these were more tired. Grace thought Alva couldn't do anything to top running away from her, but she was clearly wrong. Alva was treading on thin ice and at the smallest wrong step it would break and swallow her. Grace didn't even want to think about what the Na'vi would do to her if they caught her, especially after realising she had sneaked past their defenses AND witnessing Jake's hearing. 

"It is what it is" Alva responded and dug into the food in front of her that a dreamwalker, Alex, had been kind enough to give her. She nodded her thanks to the boy, who blushed and averted his shy eyes to the metallic table before him. "You should be proud of me. How many people can say that they sneaked into a Na'vi hometree without being caught?"

"This is why we don't let you out" Grace muttered under her breath and swirled her spoon around the brown mush in her bowl that she had sprinkled some cinnamon on in an attempt to give it some flavor. 

All the other people looked from Alva, to Jake, to Grace, and then back to Alva. The tension between the three was heavy and could be cut with a knife. Max cringed when he heard Grace's comment, he knew that would hurt Alva who valued her freedom above all else and had begged so much to be let out of her 'cage'. 

Instead of reacting like Max anticipated her to she smiled, chuckled and tilted her head down so she could stare up at Grace. "Freedom for me is not a privilege, freedom is a given. Freedom means that you're free to make your own choices, to go where you want to go and do what you want to do. As long as you don't do it at the expense at someone else's freedom. Freedom for me is natural, I can't be caged. In a cage I will wilt like a dead flower, and only when I'm let free will I live again and bloom." Alva made a flowing motion with her hand and closer her eyes after finishing her little speech. She still had that same smile present on her lips and her eyes though passionate were cloudy and glassy. Her biggest fear and hatred was being caged, being on Pandora, in the forest, was freedom for her, and as soon as she tried to break free from that cage (that Grace insisted doesn't exist) she gets scolded.

"Just eat your porridge" Grace relented and ignored the victorious smile that now lit up Alva's face. "Village life starts early, make sure you wake up earlier"

"Of course, I'm an early riser" Alva responded with a light snicker that served to lift the tense atmosphere in the cafeteria and immediately people started talking to each other again, almost as if the tense lecturing hadn't occurred. 

\---

A loud whistling could be heard in the wide, vacant avatar compound as Alva, all by herself, spun around and danced in the empty basket court. It was still early enough that none of the Avatar drivers would be outside and training, but not too early for Alva to enjoy the little bit of freedom she could get inside the high fences. The mask on her face slightly dulled the otherwise melodic sound she made but it was all the same to her. 

The wind ruffled the plants around her softly, almost in tune with her soft singing. Her arms were stretched out into the air and her steps were slow, small and gentle. Alva danced around the flowers, making sure not to step on any of the fragile plants. Her shirt flared around her slightly, much like the disk on a kenten's back as they flew away. With every gentle flowing motion of her arms came the sound of her bracelets and rings, it brought a soft clicking beat to the song and dance. Her voice rose an octave and then went back down again when she came out of the small spin. 

Light was just barely starting to light up the Pandoran nature, the radiant light dulled and the vibrant earthy colors started to come forward again. She would need to link back to her avatar soon, else they actually find her sleeping in the tree. That would be bad, so bad that she doubted she would be able to talk her way out of it. She spun again, this time on one leg and the other stretched out to the side as far up as she could reach. 

She came back down from the spin and burrowed her bare feet into the soft, warm ground beneath her, making sure not to dig her feet into any fragile roots. Alva sighed, her chest heaving and breaths coming out in heavy pants. It had been awhile since she had been able to sing and dance like that, all on her own with nature surrounding her. 

A breathless giggle slipped out and before long she was bent over with heavy laughter bursting through her open mouth. A soft whine of pain reached her ears and her laughter immediately stopped and her eyes narrowed in concentration. Something was hurt. 

Alva waited for the next whine to come, her body was tense and her face hard and focused. Her eyes closed, hiding the dark brown. She slowed down her breathing and focused harder. Alva's face screwed up before she relaxed it again after a deep exhale. It took only a few seconds before she heard the next low-pitched whining that reverberated through the air and to her, though the sound was dulled through the thick material of her breathing mask. 

Her head snapped to the right when she heard a whimper, louder than the whine she heard before. This one was screaming with so much pain she could feel it shaking inside of her, turning her blood to ice and cold bursts of pain travel up her spine. Her feet moved without her making the decision, already leading her to the hurt animal that was screaming after her. Her steps were urgent and her unprotected feet slapped hard against the concrete ground which left scrapes and aching red wounds. 

A particularly loud cry made her push herself to go faster, her urgent stride turned into a run and the run turned into a sprint. Her bracelets smacked against each other and her mask now sported a thin veil of white mist from her breath. Pearls of sweat formed on her forehead and gently ran down her face but her eyes remained focused and concerned. Alva hopped over the flowers and big plants that stuck up from the ground but kept her speed, the grass beneath her feet tickled her feet and made the wounds burn. 

Her pummeling steps came to a halt when she saw the animal that was trapped in a piece of the fencing, this part of the fence had been without power lately and the leaders were too lazy to fix it. It had tried to push itself through the hole that was in the fence that was big enough for human sized Alva to crouch through, but not big enough for the animal to push itself through. It was big, very big, and very strong. It had dug a hole underneath it but apparently not deep enough. The animal's muscles tensed, flexed and moved underneath the black and purple skin. When it saw her coming it stopped trashing, froze and then growled at her. The growl was deep and shook her to the core but she refused to show it and instead smiled gently but without teeth. Alva made sure not to make any fast movements or come on too fast to the hurt animal. It snarled at her and then snapped after her with its powerful jaws. 

A sudden bang resounded in the fence that shook from the heavy blow the animal landed on it with its armored tail. A pained grunt followed the sudden movement and Alva winced at the pain laced within it, her heart ached for the trapped animal and her hand twitched with the want to comfort it. Most of its upper body was through the fence but the other half was stuck on the other side. She could see how the sharp pieces of the broken fence dug into the skin of the animal where it was stuck, making red flow down. Two of the six legs were free and they were constantly shifting and twitching, more so when Alva came closer. 

"Shh" She whispered gently, the tone low and comforting but the animal paid her no mind and attempted to swipe one of the clawed paws at her. The sensory quills on its head flared and it tensed again, preparing to ward her off if she came too close. "It's okay" Alva whispered and raised a hand, keeping it steady even when the animal attempted to bite her. 

She crouched down but not low enough that it would be considered submissive but not high enough to appear threateningly. She was dancing on a thin line but she had done it so many times it was basically second nature to her. She hushed the magnificent animal again and ignored it when it peeled back its upper lip to display the big, sharp teeth that could rip through her easier than a hot knife through butter. "It's okay" She tried to soothe it, trying to use her voice to lull it into a feeling of safety so she could get close enough to it to help it. She raised her eyes and saw that the magnificent beast was already staring at her, the pupils were fastened on her figure with an intensity she had never seen before. 

Alva moved her hand closer and only slightly flinched when the great beast growled at it from deep within its throat. She knew that words weren't going to help her win the trust of the animal and instead turned to what always comforted her, singing. A soft melody with a few words of comfort weaved through the air, filling it with a blanket of comfort and safety. It whined sharply when she took a few crouched steps forward making her crouching only a meter or two away from the animal, and well within killing range if it so wished. 

The song deepened and flowed more guttural through the air which the animal responded well to, almost standing still at this point and allowed her to reach even closer to its flinching head. She raised her voice again, making high-pitched sounds that flowed through the air once more, her words speaking of the safety of family. Her hand reached out the last bit, confident and without a single shake she placed her warm hand on the tough hide of the now whimpering animal. 

She weaved in some clicks of her tongue, that made the animal turn its intelligent eyes to her again, in the song that was now without words. Alva stroked a hand down the head and brought the other hand up to meet it. Now both her hands were on the huge animal, stroking the head it and singing softly in tunes she had never let anyone hear before. She could hear Eywa singing along with her, adding softer notes and chorus. 

Her hands travelled past the head, down the strong shoulders, past the muscled back and landed near the bleeding wounds. She stopped any movements of her hands and sung louder, hitting the light notes as best as she could without losing the melody. The animal whimpered and then growled angrily when she touched one of the scratches that the broken fence had left on its touch skin, but Alva stood steady and let her melody soothe the animal once more. 

She mustered all the strength she had in her hands and pushed the strong animal down and then backwards, trying to coerce it into backing out the same way it came. Some tears formed in her eyes at the pained whimpers and whines it let out but she stood strong. Alva's voice wavered slightly after one particularly strong push she gave it that actually made the animal back up a fair bit. Now the back legs were completely out of the hole it had dug and it could finally breathe normally again. 

"Shh" The human hushed the animal again and clicked her tongue in between her humming, mimicking some of the sounds she had heard the Na'vi use. The animal snarled but kept backing up until it had moved completely out of the hole it used to be stuck in. She had stroked the forehead of the massive animal before it completely broke loose. 

Her humming died down and she giggled when the animal shook and then stilled. It stared at her with those intelligent eyes right into hers. Alva nodded at the animal and a big, beaming smile formed on her face. It turned around and left but turned its head around to look at her one last time before completely vanishing into the forest. This was the start of a great day, she giggled to herself. 

AN: Anyone have any guesses on what kind of animal she saved?


	6. Chapter 6

Alva whistled a merry tune while her hands dug through the pile of clothing she had found abandoned in one of the woven baskets near the back of the hometree. Her foot tapped against the ground in tune, marking where it would have been a heavy, mighty beat to accentuate her sweet tunes. Her hands picked up one of the many loincloths but snickered with a lopsided grin on her face and dropped it right back in again. Next she found a loincloth made out of the softest material she had ever touched that was a shade lighter than the grass around her. Alva broke her whistling, hummed and shifted her hold on the clothing to see the back of it. It was a good length, probably down to her mid thigh or even longer down than that, it wasn't too tight around the waist that she wouldn't be able to fix it if it was necessary, and it complimented her skin tone. Alva swung the loincloth over her shoulder and resumed her whistling with sparkling eyes and a beaming smile.

It took a little more shifting and digging in the pile of abandoned clothing before she found a suitable cover for her breasts. Unlike the loincloth it wasn't made out of any fabric, but instead braided vines that created a pretty pattern that sparkled in the heavy sunlight. It was purple vines that had a hint of green in them that shone through the more dominant color when the sun hit it just right. The covering would stretch across her breasts and then curve around her back, it had an opening at the front in the shape of a circle and that circle shape was also on the back. The vines were braided in the front but the back was made up of thinner vines that snaked across her toned back. There wasn't much decoration on it or fancy material that signified that it used to belong to a higher ranked member, which made it easier for her to wear it without trouble. She pulled the garment up and twisted it around. It was pretty, but... something was missing.

A gasp escaped her and a figurative light bulb lit above her head when she realised what it was that it was missing. "Flowers" She giggled and slapped her hand against her forehead, making a soft slapping sound echo through the quiet area she was in. "Of course". She whispered under her breath as she looked around for any flowers she could use in her new clothing.

Her dreamy eyes flickered to her left and noticed a small collection of light pink flowers that sparkled against the green they were hiding among. She got down on her knees and reached down to the flowers to gently hold the petals in her hand. Alva reached for her covering and placed it among the flowers to see if the colors would match and create the beautiful mix she envisioned. She wasn't disappointed, the soft pink of the flowers matched perfectly with the purple-green that covered her covering, it would make a nice break from the dark colors.

Alva sighed and plucked the flowers from the ground after placing a firm grip on the base of them. Her eyes dulled for a moment before her usual far away but yet sparkling look in her eyes formed again. It was sad to see them leave their place but they were needed for her creation, it would honor them to be worn like that. The avatar braided the bases of the flowers into different parts of her covering, and before long the clothing had turned into a masterpiece.

She stared down at the pieces of clothing she had stolen with a contemplative look on her face and then snapped her head from side to side to see if any of the Na'vi were close by. Not a single soul was in sight so she rose to her feet in one single, fluid motion and shrugged. "I might as well" She spoke out loud and then shrugged of the muddy shorts she was still wearing, making sure to watch her tail, and then brushed off the dirt that was still covering her.

Alva bent down and grabbed the loincloth she had left on the ground and then slid the garment on her. The fabric felt much better than the suffocating piece of shorts she had worn before. The avatar driver wiggled slightly to make the long piece of fabric covering her front fall down to its real length, enjoying the way it flared out at the sides when she did it. She giggled and did it again, this time placing her right leg forward and shaking her hip. The loincloth swayed with the movement like tall grass did in the wind.

She only did it a few more times before she pulled her shirt over her head so she could put on her covering and finally be rid of all the human clothing she wore. The fabric of her shirt made a wet sound when it hit the ground and she wrinkled her nose in disdain at it. Alva kicked it away with one well placed kick from her right foot that sent it flying a long ways away. She would have to get rid of them somehow, maybe bury them somewhere. No, that's bad for nature, she can't bury them, then what can she do?

"Burn them" She muttered and then her eyes lit up and a sweet giggle worked its way up her throat and out her mouth. The only reasonable and logic way to get rid of the clothing was to burn the evidence, but until that day came that she would be able to burn them without seeming suspicious she would hide them on this very spot. "It'll make a pretty bonfire" She envisioned it before her: a big burning fire with the Na'vi surrounding her as she burned the remnants of her human past. It would be at night so the forest would illuminate the night in its pretty neon colors, and the fire would light up their faces in faint shines of fiery orange.

Alva made quick word of burying the pieces of clothes that she had brought with her and as soon as she closed the deep pit with dirt she sighed relieved. Her back stood straighter and her steps were more confident as she turned her back to the place and walked back to the hometree. It was time to mingle.

\---

Her tail swung gently behind her confident strides and her hair bopped gently with her steps. It felt surreal to be able to walk among them like this, like she was one of them. No one seemed to have noticed that they haven't seen her before, or they just didn't ask her about it. Her hair had been cleaned with water she had collected in a large pot. It had felt good to wash away all the dirt and grime that she had collected when she snuck into the heart of Omaticaya territory.

A couple of children ran past her, giggling and chasing each other. She smiled at the sight, there was so much life in the clan it was almost overwhelming. One of the children tripped over a stray root and fell to the ground with a heavy 'oof' and a light thud. No sooner than she had started making her way over to the child had it gotten up again and resumed the lively chase.

Her almost dropping the pot when she stumbled over a rock brought her mind back to the present. Her fingers tingled and her ears twitched backwards as she tried to fix her grip on the heavy object before it fell to the ground and shattered. It was great for hiding her extra finger, and it was less suspicious than hiding her hands in her pants like she had done the night before.

During her struggle she saw the retreating back of the warrior that had captured her interest. His back was tense and his steps stiff and urgent. His tail flickered wildly from side to side, a clear sign of his mood. A normal person, or Na'vi, would have backed off from the clearly angry male but not Alva. No, if anything that made her even more curious and eager to follow him than before. The anger radiated off him in waves but she found herself drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

She placed the pot down next to a tree on the edge of the forest he had disappeared into. Her eyes narrowed slightly in intrigue and climbed up the tree besides her in fast, practised movement that almost looked like she was flying up the heavy trunk of the tree. Alva reached the upper branches without breaking a sweat and crouched down on the big branch she had settled on. She wrapped her tail around it and looked out over her view. She could see most of the front of the hometree from here, village life was just starting and so many of the natives was out already and preparing for the day.

Alva snapped back into focus and got up on her feet again before starting to skip down the branch she was standing on. She resisted the urge to whistle, knowing that the slightest sound would alert Tsu'tey of her presence.

Her every move was precise, quiet and thought through as she snuck around on the branch just above where Tsu'tey was brooding. Through the leaves she saw how heavy his breathing was and how his body practically vibrated with anger.

She accidentally stepped on a twig which let out a loud cracking sound that within a few heartbeats made his face snap up to her, but she was faster and had already dropped flat against the branch and had tucked her tail up against her body.

" **Who...there** " His rough voice barked out with a harsh warning ringing through. His tail flared and his body language closed up and turned defensive. All signs of shaking and anger wiped off him faster than the she could have said 'hi'. " **I know you...there** "

Alva's body tensed up and her breath hitched. No, he can't know she's there, can he? It's impossible! No one's ever caught her sneaking in the trees before. Never, not even when she was a little child and snuck around in the smallest of trees. No, she breathed out a sigh of relief, he can't know I'm here.

" **Come down** " Tsu'tey ordered from below her, his voice harsh and raspy. She didn't dare look down at him, the thought alone made her heart almost pump out of her chest. " **I know..there. Come down or...** " He growled out the last part, his voice falling in both volume and pitch. Despite the anger and threat lacing his voice Alva thought the foreign language flowed through him like songs did from her, melodical and soothing.

The avatar couldn't hear him now which both excited and unnerved her. Not seeing or hearing him meant she had no idea where he was, something that normally would frighten someone but Alva saw it more as a game. A game of hide-and-seek, she would hide in the trees and he would look for her. Her chest jumped with suppressed giggles as she began crawling across the branch and towards the end of it. She ignored the sharp pieces of wood and stone that nicked or scratched her and instead focused on getting across without him noticing.

She snapped her head backwards to check that he hadn't followed her but the area behind her was empty and so was the area in front of him. Alva couldn't help but wonder where the strange Na'vi was, maybe he was plotting on the ground or maybe he had given up and gone back to the hometree.

Her heartbeat thumped loudly in her ear when she came to the end of the branch and she had to get up on all fours and try to jump over like a cat or dog would. Only difference was that she was neither a cat or a dog. Standing up was too risky, he would without a doubt see her then. She had heard whispers and conversations about his skill and she was honestly surprised she had managed to sneak past him yesterday and now attempting to do it again.

Alva leaped across the branch and grabbed ahold of the other branch, her fingers gripping the branch as hard as she could, and then pulled herself up on it with an almost inaudible grunt. She looked back at the other branch with an accomplished smile on her face, her chest puffed slightly with pride.

" **Where....?** " She heard the rumble of the warrior on the ground and her eyes snapped to where she could see him pacing on the forest ground. His steps were fast and determined, though not angry. Excited, almost. His head was vigilantly turning from side to side and she saw just the hint of a grin on his lips.

She couldn't help the giggle from escaping and she quickly rushed away from the scene but by the loud cry from Tsu'tey she knew he had seen her. Their game of hide and seek had turned into a game of tag. Only this she was certain she would win. She was the fastest among her peers and an expert in climbing, though she had never actually raced against a native before. Alva shook away those thoughts and replaced them with burning positivity.

Alva leaped up from the branch to another one not far away and then immediately started running down the length of it, her legs pumping her faster than she had ever gone before. She was panting hard by the time she had jumped up on two other branches, each higher up than the other and covered in slippery green moss.

" **Give up** " She heard from just below her and she didn't stop her frantic climbing but dared a peek behind her and saw him climbing up under her, his eyes glinting with a childish joy.

" **No** " She laughed out the awkward word, her laugh light and like bells chiming together. Alva focused on her task again and actually swung herself up to the other branch instead of climbing. He was stronger than her so he could faster pull himself up, regardless of her good technique. He didn't seem as flexible or agile as her, though, and she would use that to her advantage.

Alva sprinted across the next moss covered branch and then at the end of it she took a deep breath and without hesitating jumped down from it. With an exhilarated whoop of pure joy she fell through the air and the wind smacked against her face but it didn't bother her. A flash of green caught her eyes and she turned around so that she would fall onto the giant leaves, they would cushion her fall and make it easier to get up and running again.

The first fall against the leaf slightly knocked the breath out of her but the pure adrenaline still flowed through her veins and everything inside of her tingled. She grabbed ahold of it and then slid of it and down onto the next lead which broke her fall even more. It continued the same way until her feet touched the ground beneath her and she was up and running before anyone could blink. She ran like the devil was after her but sweet laughter still rang through the air. She was turning her head around to watch her back but she couldn't see him.

" **I won** " A voice gloated in front of her and she snapped her head around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. Tsu'tey stood before her with a smug smirk on his face and his chest puffed out in pride. His whole body language screamed 'I'm the winner'.

Alva nodded with a toothy grin and clasped her hands in front of her (her pinky was tucked into her palm so that he wouldn't see it if he just so happened to look down at her hands). The way he was looking at her, nay, staring or observing, her made her nervous. Her eyes however didn't drop to the ground, they kept staring into his, but she had started leaning back and forth on the front of her feet. " **Yes, congratulations** " She stumbled over the words and then cringed at the awful accent she had.

His smirk wavered at her words and a suspicious look in his eyes grew. Alva didn't back away from his observation and instead continued to stare right into his eyes with her lips gently curled up into a grin.

" **I go now** " She curtly told him with a bow of her head and a slight bump of her fist to her chest before she turned around and skipped away from the stunned Tsu'tey while humming a song her mother used to sing to her back on Earth.

**AN: If anyone is wondering, he does not know she's a dreamwalker... yet.**


	7. Chapter 7

Her hands still shook from the chase, she was practically vibrating from the adrenaline and thrill of the chase. Still her skips were as strong as ever and her gaze as unfocused and distant as ever, though there was the usual sparkle and happiness in them that never disappeared. Her lips were curled up in a gentle smile that lit up her face.

Alva was walking into the busiest part of the clan home. There were Na'vi walking around everywhere, holding pots, baskets, bows, and all kinds of things. Children sat in little circles with their teachers, or were playing with their friends in the high grass just a bit away from that. Some Na'vi sat underneath the shades and talked to each other, some holding babies and some doing other tasks, such as weaving weaving baskets or preparing food. The sun was high in the blue sky and several bird-like creatures and ikrans could be seen soaring over their heads high up in the clouds.

She was preparing to go join a group of Na'vi sitting by a small lake when she spotted a Na'vi with a bland loincloth, no accessories, his hair braided in a very particular fashion, and having an extra finger. She chuckled when he briefly stopped walking to shift his thong, making a weird jumping motion and then stiffly continued walking.

"Jake!" Alva called out to the man and excitedly waved at him when he turned around confused and stared at her. She gestured for him to join her and then waited for the avatar to do so. Alva leaned back and forth on the balls of her feet as she waited for the slow Jake to shuffle his way over to her. Some of the Na'vi stared at him, but none at her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a hushed voice as soon as he got close enough to her so he could whisper without being heard by the clan. He stared down at her with worry in his eyes and mouth pulled into a straight line. "I thought Grace told you to go back"

Alva snickered and her lips curled into a half-grin. "No, she only said it was dangerous." She shot back and pointed a finger at him, waving it slightly from side to side. "Never said I couldn't stay, so here I am. Tada!" She made jazz hands with a beaming grin finishing the act.

"This is too dangerous." He pleaded with her. "They will kill you if they find out you've been spying on them."

Alva snickered while shaking her head from side to side, making her hair swing at the motion and pearls clicking against each other. "No, silly. This isn't spying, and they don't even know who I am" She gestured to all the Na'vi around them with a sweeping hand. None of the natives were looking at them, or even acknowledging their existence, proof that her words were true and her cover was still on. "See, Jake, none of them are suspecting that I'm not one of them. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me and you want to take that away from me! No, I won't allow you to do it." A brief glimmer of darkness appeared in the corner of her eye but after a shallow inhale it was gone and the normal happy, peaceful look reappeared.

"I'm torn between being impressed that they haven't figured it out yet and dragging you back to base by your tail." Jake rubbed his neck with eyes flickering behind her. He seemed antsy and unfocused, almost anxious, like he was late for something or on edge.

"Thank you" Alva beamed at him, her white teeth shimmering in the strong sunlight. "I'm glad you're seeing it my way, or..." The slight unspoken threat didn't get past Jake who gulped. Even though Alva was, in his opinion, weird, mysterious, had her head in the clouds most of the time, and was always happy, he could still envision that her threat was very real and she wouldn't hesitate to make good of her promise. He recalled a quote about never making a nice person, or quiet (he couldn't really remember) mad.

The male dreamwalker nodded and stared at her, slightly unnerved by the fact that she was still staring at him with that same toothy smile and happy face as she had done both before and during her threat. "Yeah, sure. Make sure not to get caught, I'm not sure I can help you if you do"

She hummed and twirled around before facing him once more. "You can't" Alva stated and then turned her back on him and walked away from the stunned avatar.

\---

Alva held a big leaf in her hand that was rolled into a tube shape and was bursting at the seams with water that she had collected from the cool stream. She was giggling excitedly on the inside and she was giddier than she had been for a long time. She was trembling with anticipation for when her victim was going to come around the corner where she was waiting for him.

" **I met...Na'vi...forest....I chased...she... fast but I catched her** " Alva heard his voice growing closer and closer to her location. He was talking to someone, another male, an old one. She heard the age in the other male Na'vi's voice, in how fragile and soft he spoke.

" **Is she.... Omaticaya?** " Tsu'tey's friend replied with a bit of humour in his voice and happiness. He seemed happy that Tsu'tey had met someone?, Alva asked herself. She was intrigued by the whole conversation about her, and what Tsu'tey thought of her.

 **"No, I...not recognise her.** " Tsu'tey replied frustrated. His voice was much closer now and Alva tensed her arms, ready to throw the water inside of the tube at him and his friend. She hadn't planned the joke very well, in fact she had come up with it just ten minutes ago and now she was going to throw water at the Na'vi that had caught her eye.

Alva readied the tube of water and as soon as Tsu'tey rounded the corner she threw the cold liquid right in his face and chest. The Na'vi sputtered loudly and swiped the water away from his eyes and snapped into action, trying to find whoever dared throw the water at him. At this point Alva was already running away from the two stunned Na'vi while laughing hysterically.

She rushed over the open area, her feet only briefly touching the ground before they were up in the air again. Her breathing was coming out in short, heavy pants in between heavy laughter. Adrenalin was once again pumping through her body and all else but the run seemed to melt away in puddles of colors.

Through the sound of blood rushing in her ears she could hear soft pants behind her and heavy steps that without a doubt left a thick cloud of dirt behind the figure. It excited her to know that he was fast enough to recover from the sneak attack and was following her. She was hoping that he would do it, it would be boring and almost pointless if he didn't. Alva realised that she would almost feel disappointed if he didn't pursue her.

She whooped loudly, making the locals stare at her quizzically but she paid them no mind, she was too busy trying to lose Tsu'tey than paying attention to what the locals thought. She only hoped that this wouldn't put her more on their radar but the minute she decided to prank him she was putting herself right in the middle of it, and this certainly didn't help, but she just couldn't help herself from doing it.

" **Stop!** " Tsu'tey barked from behind her but his voice was far away, but that didn't mean that she couldn't hear the order in his voice, the demand that she should stop. Normally she wouldn't obey an order, and she wouldn't do it this time either.

" **No** " She yelled back in broken na'vi and pushed her legs to carry her faster. Her hair flew wildly behind her but she paid it no mind, too into the exhilarating chase that they were repeating. Alva was briefly wondering if this might be a reoccurring thing for them but then shoved that thought away when it slightly distracted her and almost made her run into a tree.

Alva made an abrupt turn when she spotted a big crowd of Na'vi carrying pots of water a few meters away from her and she rushed towards the group, still giggling and smiling through the rush of her chase. This was a good way to build up her cardio, she noted and pushed on even harder. Alva reached down and grabbed a pot on the ground and hoisted it up in her arms before she walked into the big group of Na'vi that were conversing with each other, who only briefly looked at her before nodding and letting her get in the middle of their group.

" **I hide?** " Alva tried to pass off her inability at the language as her just trying to talk through heavy pants that had her bent over as she tried to catch her breath. The avatar adjusted her grip on the pot she was carrying and look to the leader of the group with a hopeful look on her face.

The leader nodded and they started walking again, Alva in the middle and the other shielding her from anyone standing outside of it. She winked at Tsu'tey when he walked up to them confused and then blew him a raspberry when he made a sour look. In momentary forgetfulness she made the earth sign for loser by putting her finger and her thumb in the shape of an 'L' on her forehead.

The warrior sputtered and his tail waggered quizzically behind him, matching the confused expression on his face. " **.....Who...she?** " He asked the leader of the group that was shielding her after snapping out of the slight trance he was in.

The leader snapped her head towards Alva and pointed at her with an urgent look on her face. Alva pushed herself forward and stood on her tiptoes, while hiding her extra finger, and whispered **"Al'va** " in her ear, putting a bit of a Na'vi spin on it to make it more believable

The leader nodded and turned back towards the Na'vi that was holding up the group of collectors. They had places to be and no time for high-ranked warriors inquiring on every unfamiliar face. " **I see you, Tsu'tey.** **She... Al'va. She...my niece** " She made the traditional greeting and then grunted out the answer to his question.

" **Your niece? What tribe...she?** " Tsu'tey stopped the leader from continuing their walk and though he was talking to the leader his eyes were fastened on Alva who was staring right back at him in return. He returned the gesture quickly, his movements sloppy and unfocused. The small glint of intrigue that he had in his eye for her had only grown since they first met in the forest, and now even more when he heard the lie (though he did not understand it was a lie).

The leader muffled her scoff and stared up at Tsu'tey with a frown. " **Ask her. We...go now.** "

" **Al'va, what tribe...you?** " Tsu'tey redirected his question to her, his eyes were burning with the curiosity. The group slightly broke apart to show her to the warrior who was interested in her, they wouldn't want to stand between two Na'vi who were obviously interested in each other. Especially between the future Olo'eytukan's cousin.

" **No tribe, I alone** "Alva's lips curled up into a toothy grin and she clapped her hands together in front of her, interlocking them. Her tail swung calmly behind her, as if his probing didn't affect her at all. " **My na'vi no good, no teacher.** " She passed off her poor na'vi skills as her not having been taught the language by anyone and by the slight pity growing in his eyes she saw that her small twist of the truth had worked. Her na'vi wasn't good and she hadn't really had a teacher to teach her the language either.

" **....you throw water...me and...?** " He asked her after nodding at her answer to his question. He could feel in his bones that something was up with the Na'vi before him, if not only by the fact that she was hiding her hands or the fact that it was suspicious that she didn't belong to a tribe or spoke the language of her people. Tsu'tey was intrigued enough to ignore that for now but he would ask her about it later, he promised himself.

" **Yes. Was joke** " Alva explained with a shrug and an innocent smile that made her eyes shine and glitter. " **Only Tsu'tey, not...** " She didn't know what he called the other Na'vi so she just pointed at him and nodded.

Tsu'tey nodded and shifted on his feet restlessly. " **Good, I...tell him...you....mean...water...him. Only...me** " The warrior nodded at all the collectors and Alva before turning on his heel and walking away from them with fast, determined steps, but his face had a disappointed and unsatisfied look on it.

Alva giggled and placed a hand over her mouth to muffle the happy sound but before long she doubles over with exhausted laughter. She was so tired from all the running and this situation she was in wasn't helping. Now she had to keep up the facade as this leader's niece. That will give me a nice explanation, she mused.

" **Who...you?** " Said leader turned around and demanded of her, her eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed.

" **I'm Al'va** " Alva responded honestly and put a fist above her heart. She slightly bent her head to show submission and respect to the much higher ranked female.

The leader snorted but otherwise didn't comment on the name Alva told her. " **You...my niece now. Remember that. My name... Tru'iel** " The leader nodded and introduced herself for the first time since their meeting.

" **Thank you** " Alva squealed, jumping up and down in overbearing happiness. Her bracelets, rings and other jewelry clanged gently against each other and only furthered the evidence that she was beyond happy that Tru'iel had given her this chance. Take that, Jake, she thought smugly. 


	8. Chapter 8

The petite woman sat on the cold floor with her pale pink dress flowing out besides her, enveloping her in a sea of pink. Her wet curls hung limp against her covered shoulders. Alva had decided to let them air dry this time, not having the patience or time to dry them any other way and deal with the eventual frizziness from it.

She had spent so much time in her avatar body that she had neglected her human one, it was almost as if it had shifted: her Na'vi body was her right body and the human one was the dream. This was one of the few moments she could get alone on the base. Much of the time she was either around her fellow drivers or she was doing something that required her being around others.

That night she had been able to sleep inside of the hometree in one of the hammocks next to her 'aunt'. It was one thing to be able to sleep on Pandora, outside of her cage, and another to actually be able to sleep among the Na'vi as one of them. Alva suspected that her aunt knew that she was a dream walker but had chosen not to expose her to anyone else, a fact that she was beyond thankful for. For once in her life she was feeling like she was fitting in.

Normally her bracelets and rings would make that familiar and comforting sound when she moved her hands but today they didn't. She had chosen to go without them, for the first time in years. Alva had a feeling in her gut, in her bones, that something was special about that day, like something was going to happen. Last time she had gone without her jewelry had been the day when her grandma got pushed off a cliff, she had the same feeling back then as she did now. It was like this anxiety or discomfort that swirled in her belly and threatened to destroy her good mood, but she forced a smile on her face the entire day and kept on being herself even if she wasn't feeling it.

Her eyes snapped to her right at the slamming of a heavy metal door. The door in question was thick, had multiple bumps in it, and scratch marks of different kinds. It belonged to an office no one ventured into, it was notorious for the horrible things that were discussed in there and that only bad things come out of meetings there. Her brother had warned her away from that room on several occasions, warning her that even though he sometimes went there she couldn't. The windows had the blinders pulled down, making it impossible to see what's going on inside. The walls outside of it were filled to the brim with posters of different kinds, most of them about the Na'vi. Probably put there by the other avatar drivers and scientists that were sick and tired of what the RDA was trying to do against the natives.

Out of the room she saw Jake, the sight shocked her and made her heart skip a beat. Alva actually gasped out loud and muffled the sound by biting down on one of her fingers, right where one of her rings would have sat. She couldn't believe that Jake, the first human to get back into the Omaticaya since the school shut down could be doing this. Alva never would have guessed that the good man she knew, the one with the big heart and big ambitions could conspire with the very person that wanted to take it all away.

Jake wheeled himself around the corner without ever looking back, like he didn't even care about who saw him. A brief flame of anger flared up inside of her, she warned him that she wasn't going to let anyone take away the things that she had worked so hard for. That included Jake, didn't matter if he was her friend or not.

\---

For once her smile was gone and her face dropped down into a frown, one of anger and betrayal. Her feet slapped harshly against the floor as she stomped her way to where Grace had her private lab. Her temper was hanging by a thin thread, betrayal for her was a no-no.

"Grace" She stretched out the name in a sing-song voice that went several pitches higher than her usual voice and it had the same forced tone to it as the smile on her face had. Alva swaggered into the lab, her feet slightly dragging against the floor and her hands danced on the wall besides her. "I've got something to talk to you about. Something important that you're going to want to hear"

"Alva?" Grace asked surprised by the other woman's appearance. The scientist slowly placed her hands on her knees, supporting her weight on them as she leant forward. "What is it?"

Alva scoffed and inspected her nails with a glare on her face. She hated being in this mood, much preferring being happy and in her head, but she couldn't let this slide. "Oh nothing except that Jake was talking to Quaritch in his office. I've seen them talking before, my brother too, but I've not caught them having conversations in Quaritch’s office before."

Grace's eyes widened but she quickly schooled her features. "You mean to tell me that Jake's been talking to Quaritch this whole time? You're absolutely sure?" The scientist stood up and ran a hand through her red hair, a sigh falling through her tight-lipped mouth. "Alva are you telling me he's been relying information to that gun loving moron?"

"Yes" Alva bluntly stated and nodded her head. "That's exactly what I'm saying"

"Shit" Grace cursed and fumbled for one of her cigarettes. She grabbed one out of her shirt pocket and quickly lit it using one of her custom made lighters from earth that she had brought with her. She inhaled the smoke sharply and exhaled slowly, letting the nicotine soothe her nerves. "I knew having one more trigger happy idiot was going to screw me"

Alva snorted and walked closer to Grace, almost leaning over her as she spoke her next sentence. "If you move us away from here he can't keep doing this". The younger woman leaned back up again and walked pointedly out of the room, leaving Grace stunned and deep in her thoughts.

\---

As soon as she got back into her real body all that hate, pain and negative emotions just melted away and she could feel her normal self slowly flow back together. Now her smile wasn't forced, but genuine and happy. In the human world she would have to deal with Jake's betrayal but so far that betrayal hadn't extended to their Na'vi reality and therefore wasn't a problem there yet.

She stretched, much like that of a cat that just woke up, and then climbed out of the hammock she had been allowed to borrow until she would receive her new one, her own hammock that she would be able to place in whatever available spot she wanted and decorate however she wanted. Alva shifted her breast covering, popping some pieces in and shifting the branches a bit before walking down the spiralling stairs that grew naturally inside of the great hometree of the Omaticaya clan.

" **Good Morning** " She greeted her aunt when she passed her down on the base floor of the hometree. The hollow part that also was used for the morning meal was bustling with life, all of the villagers were already up and about long before she had even thought about linking back in. Her eyes were droopy and her steps sluggish against the soft ground of the entrance of the hometree.

Tru'iel nodded and passed her a leaf containing some foods that Alva didn't recognize. There were some slices of fruit and some weird looking seeds that she saw many Na'vi around her eating. Alva nodded in thanks to her aunt and sat down on the floor next to the same group of water collectors that had shielded her the day before. They all nodded at her, some not even bothering to look up at her before continuing their morning meal.

" **What this?** " Alva asked her aunt, holding up one of the seeds she had in her big leaf. It was big, juicy and green. When she squeezed it juice trickled out of it and ran down her toned thigh.

Tru'iel cackled at Alva's lack of knowledge regarding their food, and the wide, curios eyes she had going on that made her seem like an overexcited puppy. " **It's....seed. pxorna'** " The Na'vi woman stole one of the seeds from Alva's leaf and popped it into her mouth, sighing at the sweet taste bombarding her taste buds. " **It's....good** "

Alva blinked slowly, still trying to process that her aunt had stolen a bit of her food. She nodded slowly and mechanically brought her hand down to grab one of the juicy seeds still in her leaf. The avatar squinted her eyes at the seed before slowly bringing it to her mouth, slightly grimacing at the sticky outside of it. Bursts of flavor bloomed inside of her, making her moan in pleasure and then eagerly swallowing the seed. She turned her head to her aunt with big eyes filled with wonder and excitement. She hadn't felt flavor like that since before she went to Pandora, all the food on Hell's Gate was blank, unlike the food her family used to cook her at home. " **So good** " Alva commented and threw another seed into her mouth.

" **...try...harvesting fruits** " Her aunt gently redirected her focus to the other colorful fruits she had provided her niece with. There were some big ones, small ones, round ones, square ones and fruits of every color. Tru'iel grabbed a slice of a fruit with purple skin that had small stubbles and orange flesh in it.

" **What this?** " Alva asked cautiously but grabbed the fruit from her aunt's hand. She twisted and turned it, watching the different spots inside of it that she suspected were seeds of different kinds and, and gently feeling the spiky stubbles it had on the skin. Alva took a tentative bite and it didn't have the same explosive flavor that the episoth seed had but the consistency was smooth and it flowed down her throat like nothing she had ever felt before. It had a salty twang to it and the stubble on it tickled her throat.

Her aunt nodded and grinned at all the reactions the avatar driver had to tasting their food for the first time. She had took a big risk when she decided to cover for the young human and she was hoping she wouldn't regret it. Tru'iel had always been spiritual and she could feel how genuine and happy Alva was, she just hoped that Alva would stay that way and be a contributing part of the society she was trying to join. " **...fruit** "

Alva sighed in frustration when she couldn't understand what Tru'iel was saying but nodded nonetheless, no need to trouble her aunt for such small things. " **It very good** " She fumbled over the word 'very' but she was confident that she got her point across.

" **You....trainer.** " The Na'vi woman besides her told her, blocking Alva's access to her food with one of her hands. " **To become one of the people you....teacher** "

" **Teacher?** " Alva echoed.

" **Yes, teacher. Ask Tsu'tey, he.....good teacher** " Tru'iel elaborated while nodding encouragely at the woman she had taken under her wing. Tsu'tey was someone she had grown up with and she, along with the rest of the clan, was confident in his abilities as a teacher.

Alva nodded her answer. She had no doubts that Tsu'tey was a great leader, but she also had no doubts of how badly he would react when he realises she's a dreamwalker and not Tru'iel's niece. " **Where Tsu'tey?** "

" **Outside. Alone** " Tru'iel added the last part with a suggestive wink and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

After saying goodbye to all of the Na'vi she was sitting with Alva ventured outside in search for Tsu'tey, who she hoped would train her and make her ready for the Na'vi life. Alva was hoping to hide her human part for a bit longer, knowing that Tsu'tey would not react kindly to her not being Na'vi and parading around amongst them as if she was.

Said Na'vi was standing outside of the hometree, just like her aunt had said. Alone, just like her aunt had said and he was looking less than happy with whatever he was thinking of. Alva was beginning to think that that was his resting face or that he was constantly upset about something. It didn't make him any less handsome, in her opinion, but it made her want to put a smile on that face instead of his usual frown or scowl.

" **I see you** " She said when she got close enough to him and made the traditional gestures that went with the phrase. Alva beamed up at him, more so than normal.

" **I see you, Al'va** " He responded, with his eyes lighting up just the tiniest amount and a small twitch of his lips.

Alva nodded up at him before letting her gaze fall to the ground, small bubbles of self-doubt formed inside of her. " **I question"**

Tsu'tey shifted against the wall but by the small grunt she knew he had heard her and was waiting for the question. " **You...teacher me?** " She forced out the words and then immediately took a few timid steps back and wrapping her arms around her midsection.

" **Ye-No** " He burst out, making Alva snap her eyes back up at him. His eyes were harsh, cold and full of hatred as he stared down at him. Alva saw his chest heaving and his clenched hands shaking with rage at his sides. Alva noticed that he was staring down on her hands that she had forgotten to hide from him and instead had been showing out in the open. " **You...dreamwalker! You...demon!** "

With that he rambled, no shouted, at her, making spittle fly from his open mouth and landing right in her face. His ears were pointing forward and then flickering back. Tsu'tey leaned forward slightly, stretching out his hands towards her before he turned on his heel, spat at her feet and then strode away from her.


	9. Chapter 9

" **Tsu'tey!** " Alva shouted and rushed after the aggravated male Na'vi, her smile was shaky and her hands trembled. " **Stop!** "

She carelessly rushed over the ground, letting dirt and grass flow up behind her. Tsu'tey was getting further away but Alva was determined to not let him get away. It was her turn to catch him now, just like it was his before. The game had switched but the stakes were the same. She continued to yell after him, if only to make him remember her presence and eventually stop escaping her. He knew her secret and she had to protect it. Alva had no guarantee that Tsu'tey wouldn't give her up, she was almost 100% sure he was going to. Duty, honor and loyalty demanded it off him.

" **Leave me...** " He snarled back at her, his eyes glistening with betrayal and hurt. He had liked the woman he had first met and the realisation that she was a dreamwalker, _one of them_ , hurt him. Tsu'tey was feeling conflicted and needed to get away from Al'va, who he now regarded with a newfound hatred because of her human nature.

She didn't answer him. Alva had a better plan that would without a doubt help her in her quest to get to Tsu'tey before he disappeared into the forest he grew up in, the forest he knew and loved. It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest at the rate it was pumping, the thought of Tsu'tey getting away from her brought up a feeling almost akin to...fear.

Alva spun around in a circle and then reached for one of the lower hanging branches of a frail looking tree just a few footsteps to her left. Though the tree looked old and frail the branch looked strong enough to take her weight for the small amount of time she needed to swing herself up to the next branch. She took in her surroundings before grabbing the branch with her left hand and then with the help of her right she begun swinging.

Alva winced when she got a splinter of wood in one of her palms but she was losing valuable time swinging around, and the branch would only hold her a certain amount of time. She made one last swinging motion, making sure to put her whole body weight behind the movement and then when she got in the proper position she let go off the branch and flew towards the other branch she needed to grab. The dreamwalker giggled when she felt the wind caressing her skin as she flew up towards her next branch. With a well practiced grip she pulled herself up on the stable branch of the large tree and she flicked her tail around it to make sure that if her grip failed her she wouldn't fall to the ground. Alva smiled and unraveled her tail from the branch so that she could skip along the length of it until she jumped on to the branch almost connecting to the one she was on.

Once she jumped across the small gap to the other tall tree she could hear the booming footsteps of the runaway. With a renewed speed she jumped, lunged, climbed and leaped across branches, trees and other plants to make her way over to him. Her heart beat loudly inside of her chest and adrenaline rushed through her body like never before. A few leaves and branches slapped her in the face when she jumped down on the forest floor but she swatted them away like one would an annoying fly. Alva rolled once she hit the ground and smoothly got back up on her feet, just like she would when she was younger and climbed in the plastic-like trees in her uncle's backyard.

Her legs pumped her forward and towards where her future teacher was walking away from her, unaware of the fact that she was gaining on him and that she had the advantage now. His many years of experience didn't matter when he had Alva sneaking up behind him, and trees were her forte. She would get him, one way or the other. Her secret couldn't be spread or her place with the Na'vi would be questioned and threatened despite her aunt insisting on being her aunt. Tsu'tey held her future in his scarred, skilled hands and she had to make sure he guarded it like he did his heart.

"I know you know english" She whispered into the breeze that carried her words over to where Tsu'tey stood just a short distance below the branch she was crouched on. As soon as Alva whispered the phrase that made his head snap up to where he thought it came from she was gone, hiding in the upper crown on the tree she had taken refugee in. "More than I know na'vi" She noted and jumped over to the tree on the other side of Tsu'tey, deliberately letting him see how her tail curled around it.

"You demons are not allowed here" His broken english sounded rough on his tongue but got the point across. Alva couldn't see his face from behind the body of the tree but she imagined he was staring up at where he last saw her with a scowl and a glare in his eyes. "Leave"

Alva giggled and leaped down to branch a few meters below her in a different tree. "No. I want you to be my teacher. I've heard you're the best, even Eywa whispers her praises in my ears. "

"Show yourself, demon!" He barked up at her, spinning around in circles as he tried to see where she was at the moment. The speed of her surprised him, she moved in the trees like an ikran did in the air, or like a syaksyuk maneuvered in the trees.

"You asked me to go away" Alva whispered in his ear from where she had used a low hanging liana to get close to him and still be able to climb up it fast enough to disappear before he caught her. Her voice was airy and had retained the dreamy vibe that she had lost earlier during their initial confrontation. The simmering fear had ebbed away.

"Stop this!" He protested and whipped around after he felt her warm breath caressing the vulnerable part of his throat that wasn't protected by his covering. "Get down"

Alva snickered, the sound echoing all around Tsu'tey. Her feet pitter-pattered against the uneven surface of the branches. She was making sounds just to unnerve him and get a reaction out of him. "I don't think so. I like it up here, it's so freeing to just be able to climb and fall"

The dreamwalker walked into his line of vision and grinned at him before leaning backwards until she was falling, making him rush forward to catch her. Before he managed to catch her she wrapped her tail around the branch underneath the one she fell from and let herself with the help of the force of the fall swing up to her feet. She looked down on him with a lopsided smile before cartwheeling out of his line of sight.

She was teasing him, he realised. Alva danced just outside of his sight, and teasing him by showing just parts of her before disappearing again. She had been the one chasing him but now that he was caught she changed the game. His eyes were hard and though he had rushed to her rescue earlier he was still full with hatred for her kind, it didn't matter if she was gifted by Eywa or teasing him in just the right ways. As soon as he spotted that extra finger on her hands his heart had closed off and his body turned angry and hateful. The hate was so ingrained in him that it was instinctual.

"I should kill you" He muttered and drew his bow that he had on his back.

Alva laughed at that and he saw a flash of her black hair in the upper part of one of the shorter trees in the area. "But you won't. Eywa won't let you, me and her are friends"

A part of him bristled at the familiarity and lack of respect she used when she spoke of the goddess but he had felt it too- the odd kind of ethereal feeling that surrounded the dreamwalker and the pull he felt towards her that tried its damndest to vanquish his hate towards her. Tsu'tey was a Na'vi of duty and honor, and that honor and duty prevented him from feeling for the dreamwalker- or at least until she proved himself to the clan. Regardless he never thought he could come to care for her, too much had happened between the humans and Na'vi for him to ever forgive the demons that came to his planet and murdered it.

"Don't test me, bug. I would do Ewya a favor ridding her of your presence" He spat at her but was only rewarded with pearls of light laughter that confused him and angered him. Did the demon not take him seriously? Did she doubt his abilities to kill her with a single arrow?

Alva leaned down in front of him, like she had seen a superhero do in an age old picture she had seen in a museum, and bopped him on the nose. "Pandora is my home, my soul Na'vi, and my deity Eywa. A day may come where your arrow ends me, a day where my presence is no longer needed on Pandora and my soul returned to Eywa, but it is not that day, Tsu'tey" After saying his name she plopped down on the ground and skipped over to a suitable tree that she climbed up on. Her muscles were beginning to tire but she could go on like this for hours if she needed.

"You are not of Omaticaya. You are a demon and is not welcome among the people. Leave or I kill you"

"I don't believe you. You've had your chance to kill me for our entire conversation and yet you've barely raised your bow." Her giggle echoed around him, taunting and mocking him. She was all around him and yet nowhere at the same time. There one second, gone the next.

He hissed at her and crouched, making sure to try and keep track of where she was. "You are a pathetic human, why should I not just walk away and talk to the Olo'eyktan."

"Do it. I would never dream of standing between you and your duty." She leaned against one of the bigger trees to his left and grinned at him. "But I don't think you will. Admit it Tsu'tey, you're intrigued by me."

Tsu'tey scoffed and looked down at her from his nose, even though she technically was above him. "There is not a bone in my body that like you. The Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk will be interested to know that a tawtute has spied on them. Your kind is forbidden here."

"I know" She shot back and danced around on the branch in front of him that stretched all the way to the branch on the tree next to it. "But Jake is here so we can't be that forbidden if you're willing to break the rules." Alva didn't tell him about Jake spying on the Na'vi.

"JakeSully is exception. There was a sign from Eywa and Tsahìk said that he had to learn"

"I know. I was there" There was a knowing glint in her eye as she looked down at the Na'vi she was hoping would teach her, but that looked more and more impossible as time ticked away.

"Then you have spied on us!" He shouted and raised his bow in his direction, threatening her with it. Tsu'tey shook his head and his scowl deepend, his day had started out good with an ample supply of his favorite seeds and now this. Before this morning he would have been happy to have a conversation with Al'va but after realising her true nature he couldn't wait to either kill her or get away from her.

Alva ignored his accusation and walked behind the tree and out of his sight. "Will you teach me?"

"No"

"Why not?" She asked him, her voice louder as she moved further away from him.

He snarled and squared his shoulders. The frustration was rolling off him in waves and if she had been there he didn't know if he would have been able to keep himself from attacking her. "No. I will never teach a demon our ways" Loud hoots and cheers coming from the hometree dragged his attention from the alien and to his home.

"I'll get you to eventually. The time I need is a mere blink in my life. I am patient. I can wait, Eywa will keep me company and the forest will share its wisdom"

Tsu'tey didn't answer the dreamwalker and instead turned on his heel and walked away from her. Alva should have panicked like she did before when she saw him walk away from her without promising not to tell her secret, he had even threatened to do so, but she was sure that he wouldn't. Her gut told her he would keep her secret until it was a good time for it to be revealed. She smiled proudly, Eywa was no liar.

She jumped down on the forest floor and wandered in the opposite direction that Tsu'tey walked in. Alva wanted to explore the forest and all the secrets she could uncover in the time she had until she had to make an appearance in the village again.

Alva walked for about ten minutes before the bush to her right shook and trembled something extreme. A soft sound that was the mix of a purr and growl came from it and Alva perked up at the familiar sound, but she couldn't pinpoint where she had heard it before. Just a hint of a black tail could be seen on the side of the massive bush and when Alva snapped her eyes over to it the growling ceased and was replaced with utter silence.

Just as Alva was going to keep walking a huge black mass jumped out from the bush. It landed with a heavy thud on the ground that made the leaves and dirt around its massive paws jump and fly away. She stared at the creature with her jaw wide open and took a few steps back even though her instincts told her to stay still. The growling came back but this time it was louder and held none of the purring it previously did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Did you spot the references and what do you think jumped out of the bush?


	10. Chapter 10

The growling came back but this time it was louder and held none of the purring it previously did. It was a low and gravelly sound that froze her to the bone and made her normally steady hands shake. It was familiar and she was drawn to the great beast in front of her, despite the sharp, shining teeth it was displaying to her in a wide, threatening grin. Its shackles had risen and the thin, armored tail posed straight up along with its sensory quils. Alva stared right into its dark, intelligent eyes and saw her reflection: she was shaking badly but was still reaching out a hand to the animal before her. It crouched low and the lean, yet very visible under the leathery hide, tensed.

"Shh" She whispered to it, paying no mind to how the lower part of the animal's body slowly rose and the back paws burrowed into the loose ground under them.

Alva took a step forward and held her hand straight and steady. The animal kept its gaze firmly on her, never straying away from her body. The beast's upper lip folded back and showed the teeth even more, showing why it earned the name dry mouth bringer of fear. She could smell the blood in its breath and see the satisfaction of it in its eyes that gleamed at her. There was a challenge in them where there had only been pain and fear last time they met. Saliva dripped from the massive mouth and formed a clear puddle under its head that grew with each passing second. This animal had changed since she last saw it stuck in the fence back on Hell's Gate- it was stronger, angrier, and it had found her. It snarled at her, making her jump and drop her hand down to her side in fear that it would bite it right off. Grace's words about keeping her hands away from hungry animals came back to her now but she refused to give in to the fear, it was after all the animal that she had saved and that hadn't attacked her yet, that had to mean something.

The animal took a slow step towards her in a feline fashion that was smooth and graceful. Alva stood her ground, refusing to show how scared she was of the animal that drew closer to her vulnerable figure. It opened its already gaping jaws even further and roared, making the birds and animals nearby fly from the sound that promised pain and blood. She flinched and closed her eyes, bracing herself from the attack the animal was hinting at. She felt a sense of peace wash over her, and strength that helped her force her eyes open and stare right into the eyes of the beast before her.

Alva took a deep breath as if to cleanse herself from all the fear and with slow, gentle movements picked up a long, spiky stick that laid on the grassy forest floor. She gripped it tight in her hands- she may have saved the animal once but it was still wild and coming for her like an ikran did for their chosen ikran makto. The spikes dug into her already wounded hands but she welcomed the pain that grounded her and stopped her head from flying into the clouds like it was always inclined to do.

With a ground shaking roar the animal ran at her, ripping up dirt and plants alike in its path to Alva who was still standing still, awaiting the first strike. As soon as the now quiet animal came close enough to bite her she placed one foot in front of the other and crouched, finding her balance in the uneven ground, and readied her arm for a mighty swing. When she felt warmth breath hitting her arm she spun away and delivered a blind hit to some part of the animal's large, lean body and felt a pang of satisfaction at the yelp it gave as the sharp spikes scratched the tough skin. Alva danced away from the slash of claws and swiped at the middle legs and she tapped her stick on the beast's armored tail and ducked when it took a swipe at her in return.

'Tsaheylu' a voice whispered at her, urging her in that same motherly and yet overwhelmingly authoritative voice. 'Tsaheylu' it barked at her and she spun around once to try and find whoever was trying to distract her during her time of battle with a creature much stronger and more lethal than she, a beast that everyone feared.

Her mind was torn- if she was to make tsaheylu with the beast she'd have to get closer to it and so far she had attempted to avoid that since that would mean that she would have to actually harm it to make it leave. Alva hated harming anyone, especially animals and she had formed a bond with this one when she helped it escaped the danger it was in. Had she not saved it it would have been shot by the guards, or worse.

A figurative light bulb lit above her head, there was one way she could get close enough to it and that involved careful planning, climbing and forcing herself to be braver. If she climbed up a tree, being mindful of the fact that this animal could also climb, and drop down on its back she could catch it by surprise and form the stronger bond. It was the only way.

Alva dropped the stick and rolled to the left when the beast snapped at the spot her figure had previously stood at before she skillfully, and slightly shaky, pulled herself up the closest tree with fast, rushed movements as if the devil was behind her- which it very well may have been with the way the animal was trying to get to her.

She was panting heavily by the time she reached the branch she had chosen to jump from and took a moment to stare down at the animal she was to make a sacred bond with, she had no idea if the animal would be like an ikran in the aspect that they have only one rider for life or if the animal was more like a pa'li and could have more riders. Nevertheless she trusted her gut and her gut was telling her to make the bond, a thought that hadn't even entered her head until that voice told her. It was unheard of. Alva stared down at the animal, watching how it lunged at the tree but not getting a good grip no matter how far in the wood it pushed its claws or hissed at her. It backed away from the tree and rose to a point that only the four back legs were grounded and tearing up the ground and roared up at her. She had only felt fear four times in her life and this was one of them, her normally bright grin and clouded, milky eyes were now sharp and shiny with fear being the dominant emotion and anticipation lurking in the depths.

She took one last shallow breath before she forced her feet off the branch and falling down towards the snarling beast waiting eagerly for her. With each meter a bit of her fear dulled away, leaving her in a comfortable blanket of peace and serenity. Alva hit the strong animal with a hard thud that made the animal whine and spin around in shock, she bit back a grimace at the pain coming from her lower body. Making sure she's not thrown of its back she released one hand from its frantic gripping on the tough hide of the animal, making sure not to scratch the operculas on the sides of its neck in her fight to find something to hold onto to remain seated despite the harsh bucking, and pulled her tswin forward. Alva hushed the animal gently, whispering an old song her grandmother told her her ancestors sung when taming a wild horse or soothing a wounded animal. The dreamwalker atop the mighty and feared beast grinned, despite the turbulence she had to endure that threatened to send her to her death as soon as she made a mistake, and with the same hand she held her tswin in she leaned forward to grab one of the upper sensory quils that perked beneath her gentle hold. Alva barked at the animal and lunged forward, shifting her weight so she wouldn't fall off, and connected the two tswins- making tsaheylu.

The animal bucked a few times before it sunk down to the ground, panting softly and a steady river of saliva ran down the sides of its still wide open jaws. Alva laughed and tilted her head back in exhaustion and success. She, a lowly human, had made tsaheylu with an animal that was feared and worshipped by the natives of Pandora. I did it, she thought to herself and patted the animal on the right side of its neck, she could feel the warm breaths that came out from the holes in its neck used for breathing.

"You did good" Alva whispered to it and laid down on its warm and leathery back, sighing contently and felt the same emotion through the bond they shared. "You did so good" She continued and then gasped when she saw the read coating her left hand that she had been resting on her left thigh. She looked down and discovered the gash that bled heavily in a bright red that contrasted with her soothing cyan. "Gave me a scratch too"

Every single one of her muscles ached with pain and were heavy with exhaustion, but she forced herself to sit up straight on the back, it was the first ride that sealed the bond with the ikran so she assumed it was the same for these animals. 'Walk forward', she thought, 'slowly' she added when she remember to be specific.

The animal she had just bonded with took a few steps forward before swishing its tail forward to gently smack her in the back, being mindful with the strength behind the limb. Alva chuckled, her smile brightening up her face in her normal expression, and urged the restless animal to go a little faster, if only to please it a little bit.

"Good girl" She breathed out when the animal started trotting around in the forest. Alva felt the lithe muscles move under her as it moved around and she was reminded of the sheer, potent power and lethality that she controlled and had bonded with.

Like a changed animal it purred its response and sped, changing the pace from a slow trot to an almost run that to Alva felt more smooth and comfortable than riding on a pa'li ever was. She ran a hand down the animal's long neck, ghosting over where the neck met shoulder before grabbing a hold of two sensory quils before telling the animal to run.

Alva clicked her tongue and then hooted happily as the two soared through the forest, jumping over fallen trees, zig zagging between heavy bushes and enjoying the cold wind flowing through her still majorly unbraided hair. If Alva had to pick one thing to represent what freedom felt like she would pick this- riding on the back of a mighty predator and feeling like the most powerful woman ever, like nothing could bring her down. For once in her life her head was clear as the sky above her and her thoughts and feelings grounded, a feeling she had only felt with Tsu'tey.

The two ran around the forest until the animal started slowing down and Alva had almost fallen asleep three times atop her newest friend, all previous feelings and happenings forgotten. They had chosen to stop in a clearing by a small stream where the animal, Kida, as she had named her, could drink and roll around in the cold water to cool down her already high temperature.

Alva whistled a merry tune as she splashed some water on her dirty arms and scrubbed away the mud that formed. Her eyes were droopy and threatened to fall shut at any given second, but she trusted that she would be safe with Kida even if she wasn't connected through their tswins at the moment, such was the loyalty already present between them. She reached over and rubbed the animal on the stomach, splashing some water to help clean her off.

Just as she was grabbing a giant leaf to help her scrub off some of the more stubborn dirt she heard a twig break behind them and her head whipped back faster than Kida rose to her feet and growled at the trespasser-already feeling protective and defensive of her rider.

"Tsu'tey? Come closer" Alva sat down, crossing her legs and giving Tsu'tey a gentle smile. "She won't bite", she continued and gestured to where Kida was still growling and showcasing all her big, sharp, shiny teeth at the male Na'vi hanging out just at the forest line.

"That is palulukan" He stared at the pair with wide-open eyes and tense body that was thrumming with adrenaline and a fight-or-flight conflict. "How can you be so close?"

"Tsaheylu, my friend, we bonded" Alva revealed with a self-satisfied smile and a wink. Her chest puffed, smug at her success where others had failed, and without proper training at that.

Tsu'tey brought out his bow and gripped an arrow in the other, ready to launch at her companion at even the slightest twitch of a muscle that he felt was threatening. Alva stared at him mutely, but her smile was still present and she was calm and collected. Kida on the other hand didn't like the fact that Tsu'tey had drawn a weapon on them and had taken a step forward, unleashing a loud roar that made Alva's ears hurt.

The dreamwalked stood up and stroked a hand down Kida's head before walking towards Tsu'tey. "I rescued her a few days ago." She revealed and threw a fond smile back at the defensive palulukan before continuing, "Never thought I'd see her again but just a few hours ago she literally jumped me"

"You are crazy, demon" He spat at her but she was not deterred.

"I'm not crazy, 'sey" The nickname slipped out before she realised she had done it and shrugged at the incredulous look he sent her. "I named her Kida after a powerful woman back on earth, a princess, fitting isn't it?" She asked him with a tilt of her head and wide, innocent eyes that stared up at him.

"Don't make any sudden movements" He growled at her and pulled her behind him, making Kida snarl and take a step forward. His eyes were focused on the animal growling at him and Alva could see his hands shaking and gently brought hers up and placed them on his.

"Don't worry, big warrior, she won't hurt us. I'm her chosen rider and you're my best friend"

She felt him stiffen in her hold but she didn't release his hand. "I'm not your friend, bug." Tsu'tey barked out the word 'friend' as if it was dirt on his tongue.

"Sure you are"

"No" The foreign word was rough on his tongue but she could hear that he had some training with the pronunciation even if he would deny it until he was yellow in the face.

Alva giggled and tightened her hold on his now steady hands, blinking up at him drowsily. "You're my best friend, silly." The dreamwalker perked up as a thought entered her mind, "Will you be my teacher? Oh please say yes, bestie, pleasee"

"No"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So a few chapters back she saved an animal, one that I asked you guys to guess, and for those that guess palulukan (a thanator), congrats! It is indeed the dry mouth bringer of fear :) Hope you liked the grand reveal.


	11. Chapter 11

Alva spun around in the chair she had stolen from one of the officers inside the crowded Ops centre that she had been summoned to early in the morning. It was way too early to be awake and yet the room was bustling with life as if it had never stopped being so. Her brother was leaning on the halo station that was currently showing one of the many RDA mines placed on Pandora. She was giggling loudly and throwing her legs and arms up with each spin.

"Eywa doesn't like you brother." She stated once she had stopped spinning around and was now instead lying face down into the holographic picture of the dirty mine. She raised her head and stared at him with wide, cloudy eyes before speaking again. "But she'll forgive you, I know she will."

Parker Selfridge sighed and looked down on the ground before shaking his head. The man placed his hands on the edge of the platform. "Eywa doesn't exist, Alva. It's just something the natives believe and that crazy woman Grace."

"She'll forgive you for that too." Alva blew him a raspberry and leaned back in her soft chair. Her brother had dark purple circles under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. "Are you okay? You look... tired"

"It's fine"

"I know you're not fine, Parker, I can feel it." She told him with a gentle smile playing at her lips, "Did one of your bulldozers break or something? No wait-I've got it, Grace said something to hurt your feelings". Alva giggled and placed a hand under her chin, leaning her elbow on her knee.

"I said it's fine, don't worry about it" Parker snapped at her and once again, like he's done so many times in the short span of time she's been in his company, sighed and shifted his weight. "You need to bring in your Avatar in for a checkup"

Alva hummed and pulled her over-sized sweater over her hands before sinking down further in the chair she had plopped down in when her brother allowed her in. "No"

"No?"

"No" She repeated and snickered when he clenched his jaw before inhaling deeply as if to not lash out on her. Alva, who was wearing only socks on her feet, as usual, defiantly raised them and placed them right besides his trembling hand. "I finally broke free of the cage you built, and I'm not going back inside it"

"Oh for crying out loud Alva! It's not a cage, it's there to protect you. And since you ran away from Dr Augustine we need to see if you've damaged it somehow." He ranted with furrowed eyebrows and closed eyes. Selfridge shook his head and pushed her legs off the desk, being mindful not to touch her socks that were suspiciously wet and full of grass stains. Alva smiled sheepishly at the offended look he sent her. "Those things are expensive", he continued and pointed his finger at her.

The woman hummed and twisted a tight curl around her finger. "You're not being very convincing, brother. A life outside of a cage is worth all the money in every universe" Alva shook her wrist to make the bands there jiggle, soothing her growing anxiety.

"Just do it Alva, for once in your life just do what I say" Selfridge shook his head again, this time with a newfound tiredness he didn't have before- as if a weight was on his shoulder. He shuffled his feet and then took a loud gulp of coffee from his cup. "I don't have the time or energy to argue with you. Time is money"

Alva scoffed and grabbed his wrist before he could make a dramatic exit. "Parker come on, I'm your sister. Don't throw me back in the cage" Her eyes pleaded with him, begging him to not force her back where she didn't belong. Alva would wilt like a flower if they shut her back inside Hell's gate, she wasn't meant for a cage-she was meant for the wild Pandora and everything in it. 

"Grace will be waiting for you where you ran away last time. Make it happen", he ordered her and then dismissed her with a flick of his right hand.

"Bring your avatar in for a checkup Alva. Do as I say Alva. Don't do that Alva. Do that Alva. I'm your adoptive brother, Alva." The woman mocked in an overly deep voice and pulled different faces as she paraded out of the crowded office and towards the linking room. She didn't want to bring her avatar but even she knew that she couldn't get out of that one.

\---

Alva sung an old lullaby in Yoruba as she walked out of the hometree and passed the biggest crowd of newly woken Na'vi that were all happily chirping to each other before settling down for the first meal of the day. She waved merrily at Tsu'tey with a glowing smile and then winked at Tru'iel when she passed the eating woman. Neither of them waved back at her, only stared- Tru'iel with an amused look on her face and Tsu'tey with disdain.

"Bye bestie!" She called back to him, making sure that all of the nearby Na'vi heard the declaration, before skipping away from the scene while giggling like a high, crazy woman. Alva knew he didn't want to be her friend, yet, but she was patient and she always got what she wanted in the end- and right now she wanted Tsu'tey.

It didn't take her long to get to where she had abandoned Grace and Norm just a few days ago. Alva couldn't believe it had been so long already, it felt like yesterday that she ran away from the cage they had built for her. She could have called for Kida to make it go faster but Alva enjoyed the freedom and joy it gave her to run in the forest and swing in the trees as much as she wanted without anyone telling her she's not allowed to do it. She prided herself on her freedom and she would always fight for it. She also didn't think that Grace would react nicely to a palulukan showing up and Alva wanted to keep her friend away from the RDA for as long as she could.

"Took you awhile. Did anything happen on the way over?" Grace went straight to the point, frank and blunt as the woman is.

"Nope" She popped the p as she climbed into the helicopter that this time was piloted by a new pilot. She had seen him on base once, G something was his name, Alva couldn't remember the rest of it. "I did almost fall out of a tree once though, does that count?"

"No"

"Then no, nothing happened" Alva sulkily answered and crossed her arms over her chest. "And now you're here to bring me back to the cage. Eywa isn't pleased with either of you-taking one of her children like this. I told Parker but he wasn't listening."

"Alva" Grace sighed and rolled her eyes. " We've talked about this."

"You mean you've been trying to convince me that I'm imagining things and need to be contained in.a.cage." Alva shot back, her previously good mood dangerously close to becoming a bad one. The woman took a deep breath, closed her eyes and then only after feeling herself calm down she opened them again. "I can tell that there's going to be a storm by the restlessness of the fkio, by how the nantangs stock food and by the loud groans of the trees around us. I know what I feel, Eywa has shown me. I can see in a way you only wish you could."

"None of our rapports have shown any signs of a storm." Grace responded and her previously exasperated look turned into one of pity. "Maybe you need a break from all of this. I know how confusing everything gets when you spend a lot of time in your avatar."

"You know nothing, Grace Augustine" Alva giggled and turned her head to look out at the green trees that fluttered past them as they flew back to Hell's Gate for her 'check-up'.

\---

Alva winced when one of the doctors pressed hard on her stomach with their cold, gloved hands that had some kind of a jelly-like substance on it. As soon as she had landed on Hell's Gate she had been escorted to the same room she had woken up in the first time she linked into her avatar. It looked the same with three or something beds that were as uncomfortable as they were big, tables with various instruments and needles on, and the different machines they had hooked her up to- with one of them making a loud beep sound that measured her heartbeat.

"Have you had any feelings of nausea or a headache?" The head doctor asked her after pressing on her tender stomach once more and then nodding to herself. Her expression was blank but Alva saw a bit of a darkness flash over her face when the doctor stared at her.

Alva shook her head and flashed a pretty little grin at the doctor. "Nope. Non. Nada."

"Any tenderness anywhere?" The doctor, Katrina, continued her questions and placed both of her hands on Alva's left thigh and leaned all her weight on it. "Are you sure you're not feeling lightheaded? Your eyes are a bit glossy and far away"

The avatar driver laughed and shook her head, making her hair fall over her face. "I thought everyone knew that my eyes always look like thi-"

"Alva?" The doctor snapped her fingers by Alva's ears when she noticed that she had drifted off somewhere.

"Huh-yes?" She asked when she came back from her thoughts. Alva had zoned out from the conversation and drifted off in her thoughts about Pandora and all the fun things she could have been doing, like climbing a tree, bonding with Kida, annoying Tsu'tey. She cleared her throat and shook her head to get rid off the lingering feeling of heaviness and cloudiness in her head. "My eyes always look like this. Some say I'm not all there" Alva giggled and reached up to her temples and made circle motions as she spoke. "But no, no dizziness or lightheadedness"

"Where did you go?"

"Huh?" Alva asked confused at the question. She didn't go anywhere? "I've been sitting here this whole time, maybe you're the one that should be examined" She winked at the doctor and then started kicking her feet back and forth over the edge of the high bed.

"In your thoughts" The doctor cleared her throat and gestured to Alva's head. "You got this far away look in your eyes like you weren't there and you stopped mid sentence"

She made an 'o' shape with her mouth and then chuckled, her smile brightening up her face that had gone blank with only traces of the usual positivity and happiness on it. "That's what you meant. My bad. I-uh-I went back to the clan"

"The natives?" The doctor asked stunned and took a few steps back. "Why would you think of those savages? No wonder your brother is so high-strung all the time with you running around with those wild beasts"

Alva bit back a snarl and pushed down that side of her. Instead she let her lips curl into her signature smile and lean back lazily on the bed, placing her hands down by her sides. "The only beasts and savages I see are inside this base" She stared right into the doctor's eyes as she said it and then finished it off with a short happy giggle.

"And my brother is more worried about getting his grey rocks and pleasing the folks back home than he is me hanging around in a forest"

"I'm sure that's not true" The doctor whispered to her and grabbed a syringe from the table to their left. "I hear he's really worried about you."

"You know I can see that needle, right? No need to lie to me to distract me" Alva snickered and laid down on the bed with her arms crossed behind her head as she smirked at the doctor. "What exactly did Parker tell you about me"

The doctor smiled and spun around with the thick, long needle in hand that strangely enough had a black paper around it to hide what was inside of it. Alva stared at it with eyes wide as saucers and mouth pulled into a thin line. She closed her eyes and imagined herself to be far away and in the warm, safe embrace of Eywa, who didn't hesitate to come to her rescue and wrap her arms around her child. Hell's Gate was the only place on Pandora where Eywa's warmth didn't exist and each time Alva walked inside of the walls of her cage she longed more and more to be free.

"He said that he worries constantly about you and that he worries for your mental health more and more with each day that passes."

"In what exact words did he say he worries?" Alva smirked, knowing that the doctor was lying to her.

"I don't remember the exact words but it was something like 'as her brother I worry, and these trips aren't good for her health. Just look at her, she's not all there, and it's getting worse with these days. And her obsession with Eywa is getting worse by the minute'" The doctor responded and walked up to the side of Alva's bed with the big needle firmly clutched in her hand and already poised to strike.

Alva laughed out loud at that, a real belly laughter that made ugly snorts rip themselves out of her. "Y'know that's how I know you're lying to me. Parker would never say I'm his sister. I'm his adoptive sister and he always makes that clear to whoever he's talking to."

"I-" The doctor began but Alva interrupted her with a lopsided grin that showed just the barest amount of teeth.

"Don't worry doc" She said in an airy tone that she breathed out. "I made peace with it long ago. I was 14 when I was adopted into the family and we never formed that unbreakable bond that siblings have. He did bring me here and for that he will always have a special place in my heart"

The doctor laughed nervously and changed her grip on the needle in her hand. " I guess this place means a lot to you then"

"Yes" She whispered and worried her upper lip between her teeth. "It really does, and I guess you're here to take some of that away from me"

"Don't try to deny it, doc." Alva waved away the stuttering that the doctor was doing and instead smiled sadly. "I guess this is the price I have to pay for freedom, right?"

The doctor nodded and swept away Alva's hair and tswin away from her vulnerable neck before pointing the needle at the spot she aimed to inject the tracker into.

"Aren't you going to give me something for the pain?" Alva asked with her eyes closed and her voice a mere whisper that trembled as she felt the sharp point ghost her skin.

"No" The doctor shot back and in one harsh movement forced the needle to break the skin and guided it to a spot not far under the skin where she would place the tracker. Alva screamed in pain when the object penetrated her skin without anything to take away the pain, and sobbed when she felt the digging the doctor did amongst her nerves. Alva felt Eywa scream along with her and all she could see was flashes of hot white and black dots that danced on the edges of her vision.

"Shut up" The doctor barked at her and Alva could barely hear it through the fog that was her mind. The dreamwalker felt like she was flying, only she was on fire and no matter how high she flew she couldn't touch the sanctuary that was her mind. Her mind wasn't all there but the pain was, and it was everywhere and nowhere. All her nerves felt like they were on fire even after the doctor removed the large needle from her neck and shoved a cold, wet bandage on top of the bleeding wound.

"Now we can track you wherever you go, even amongst the wild beast you hang around"


	12. Chapter 12

Alva took a deep breath and then sighed at the fresh air so unlike the one in her cage. Her neck still ached from the needle and tracker, and the area she forced it into was both numb and pulsing hot red. She rubbed the spot and then winced when she pressed down too hard on the biggest of the many bruises she had gotten from the rough treatment.

" **What...hurt?** " Tru'iel asked once she noticed Alva wincing and rubbing the spot again for the probably tenth time in five minutes. Alva's self-proclaimed aunt had noticed that there was something off with Alva- she wasn't as bubbly and dreamy as before and there was a hard glint in the corner of her eye that screamed pain. " **.....humans hurt...?** "

"Uh, **no** , doctor- **healer** " Alva responded, her voice still hoarse since all the screaming she did. " **Big pointy** " She picked up a stick that they had sharpened at the end and pointed it at her neck as if to show her aunt how exactly the doctor had hurt her. " **Track me** "

Tru'iel stared dumbfounded at her and then placed a hand on her cocked hand. " **They track you?** "

" **Yes** " Alva answered and then giggles but this time it has a bitter twinge to it that sours it. " **They take freedom. Know where I is. All time** " She kicked a rock that laid on the ground and didn't react at the sharp pain she got when the sharp end of it dug into her still soft foot.

" **Where?** " Her aunt asked with a concerned look on her face as she walked up to Alva who was still wincing from the leftover pain. As soon as the doctor had removed the needle she had thrown up all over the floor and then they had thrown her out of the room to clean it up. Walking right after that pain and injection was impossible- her legs were shaky and could barely hold her up, her eyes were flashing in and out of focus and her whole body was stuck between excruciating pain and the numbing sensation that fainting was.

Alva brushed her hair to the side, being careful not to tug her tswin too hard for it was still extremely tender since the examination, that Alva realised was probably an excuse to put that tracker in her and that her brother probably had only authorized that she had it injected but not that cruelly. He wouldn't do that to her no matter how cocky or defiant she acted with him- he wasn't a bad person, he just made bad decisions that would eventually cost him everything.

" **Neck** " She whispered and yelped in pain when Tru'iel ghosted her finger over the area. " **Gentle** " She spat out through her teeth as she rode through the waves of pain that washed over her.

" **Sorry** " The Na'vi whispered and pulled her hand back like she had been burned. "Humans do this?"

Alva nodded again and let her hair fall back into its place. She straightened her back and mustered up a smile on her face that only shook slightly when her tswin plopped back into position and nudged the tender area. "Yeah, they did this to me. I guess they don't like not knowing where I am at all times."

"Brother do this?"

"No, not this" Alva looked down on the ground as doubt bubbled up inside of her. She knew Selfridge wouldn't do that to her but at the same time she was doubting his intentions with it- and if he had been the one to order the rough treatment to scare her into submission. "I mean technically he did but I don't think he knew how much it would hurt. He's never hurt me before" Alva rubbed her bandage and pulled her hand away when she accidentally pulled on the edges of the tape that held it down on her skin.

"But brother know?" Tru'iel pushed and placed her hand on Alva's wrist to stop her from continuing the work the two had been doing before Tru'iel had finally mustered enough courage to ask about the pain. "Why brother do this?"

"To control me. He's never liked how free I was and it's only gotten worse with the years. Eywa forgive him but he shouldn't have done this" Alva spat out but then sighed through her nose and pushed all the spiteful emotions back into the pit of negativity. "But it's okay because I'm free and out of my cage."

Tru'iel hissed and slapped Alva on the wrist. "This not okay, this bad. Brother no hurt sister. Why control?" She tilted her head to the side as she looked down at Alva, her eyes wide and angry- almost wild in a sense.

"Parker" Alva sighed out and looked up at the cloudy sky, smiling at the darkness of them. It was going to be a storm afterall, just like she had told them. "They see these bodies as property, as an investment to fix relations with the natives- that's you, and I guess it freaks my brother out when I run off with his property." She shrugged, "Doesn't help that he's 'worried about me and my mental health', whatever that means"

"He put tracker in you because fear? What is 'property'? You fine, Al'va, you like Tsahìk- connected to Eywa. 'Tis good" Tru'iel grinned and then whooped with a fist in the air. The Na'vi stroked a hand down her niece's face and then placed her hands over her eyes. "You see, like Tsahìk. Sky people no understand, but you understand. 'Tis good, no bad."

Alva laughed and pulled Tru'iel's hands off her face but she appreciated the words. Her face lit up again and her eyes regained the sparkle that danced along with the dreamy. "I don't see like the Tsahìk, I just see what Eywa show me." She breathed out between giggles that left her breathless and purple in the face.

"Still you see" Her aunt laughed and let her hands fall back to her sides. "Brother must understand you one with Pandora. He cannot keep you away"

"He thinks he can" Alva responded. "But sooner or later he'll realise I belong in the wild". Immediately after saying that she burst into high pitched laughter that made her forget about the pain for just a short period of time.

\---

Alva was walking with a woven basket, that was made out of a strong type of grass that the clan used for smaller objects like food leafs, berries, etc, when she met Neytiri for the first time face to face and not her observing the chief's daughter from a distance.

" **I see you** " She briefly touched her forehead and bowed her head in respect to the Na'vi woman that was much higher ranked than she. " **Is great pleasure meet you, Neytiri** "

" **I see you, Al'va.** We can speak english. Tru'iel told me your na'vi is not very good" Neytiri's words flowed from her lips like a gentle river and thought Alva had heard her speak english before she was still stunned by how good her pronunciation was compared to most other Na'vi, like Tru'iel who had a very heavy accent that sometimes made words unrecognisable. Neytiri also bowed her head but then grinned at Alva.

"Thank you. I had no one to teach me na'vi" Alva technically wasn't lying when she said she had no one to teach her. Just that she had na'vi classes during the program but she never went to them because she was too busy daydreaming and being stuck in her head.

Neytiri nodded but her eyes stared into hers suspiciously. "Jake says he knows you but your aunt says you live in the forest"

"I've visited the base" Alva shot back, trying her damndest not to flinch or jiggle her bracelets like she was trembling to do. Her anxiety was going through the roof and she had no way of relieving herself of that stress since she couldn't go all the way into her mind and neither could she jiggle any of her bracelets or twist her rings. "Jake must be one of those people that bond fast"

"Are you learning our ways?" The other woman fired her next question with even more narrowed eyes and tail flickering behind her in short, stiff strokes. "I have not heard of anyone teaching an Al'va"

Alva laughed as Tsu'tey's face popped into her head and the grumpy look he got everytime she talked to him. She would accept no one else than him to teach her the ways of the people. "Tsu'tey will be my teacher"

Neytiri stood up straighter and threw her a look of confusion. "I have not heard of this, I must ask him"

"If you do then he'll probably say that he won't but you should know that he is going to teach me." Alva giggled and sighed with rolling eyes as she finally shook her wrists to make the bracelets there shake and make that addictive sound that soothed her every worry. Alva even gave a shake of her ankle to make the ring there shift a bit but not anything more than that. "He's shy?" She offered as explanation when Neytiri was still staring at her with that same sceptical and yet so confused look on her face.

"Are you a tawtute? You have extra finger like Jake, and hair" Neytiri pointed at her brow bone where there was no hair but on Alva there was.

Alva's expression turned into something like a deer in a headlight but grinned at Neytiri nonetheless. "I think that's my cue to keep doing my chore. May Eywa guide your path and we shall meet again, Neytiri, teacher of Jake Sully"

"Same to you." Neytiri whispered after her, confused at the turn of conversation- one that she thought she had the control over but had quickly been shown who had really been in control that whole time.

Alva skipped away from her friend's teacher and towards where she was supposed to go with the basket before she got stopped by Neytiri. She was back to humming and twisting a loose curl around her right index finger. The melody of the moment was a rather low pitched one and full of baritone notes and outdrawn sounds- it was the melody her mother used to hum to her when she was upset and it still made her feel warm inside whenever she heard it. She could hear it sometimes in the wind, in the rushing of water and in the chirping of the Pandorian equivalent of birds. A sign that Eywa was with her all times of the day and had her back until the day her energy was to be returned and she could spend the rest of eternity safely tucked into Eywa's warm and glowing embrace of love and acceptance.

"Oh!" She burst out when she saw a familiar muscled form walk just ahead of her with a bow slung over his shoulder and a few arrows in hand. "'Tey!" She giggled out and ran up to walk with him.

"Demon, what do you want?" He spat out at her once he noticed who it was that had joined him. His lips curled up in disgust but Alva didn't mind, disgust was a feeling and that meant that he had feelings for her. He clenched his hand around his arrows but not enough to make him break. 

"Talk to you" She replied as if it was obvious and gave him a 'duh' look with a raised eyebrow and one-sided grin. Alva had to take quicker strides to to keep up with Tsu'tey's much longer and faster ones but she managed. She stared up at him with amusement in her eyes. "Why else would I walk up to you?"

"Leave" He spat at her and attempted to get away from her by walking even faster but Alva only giggled and looped her arm through his so that they walked arm in arm. He tried to yank himself free but Alva held surprising strength in her thin arms that surprised him but not enough to make him stop his attempts at freedom.

Alva shook her head and snickered, her eyes turning slightly dim as she partly zoned out and into her mind. "I don't want to leave, I want to talk to you."

"No. Leave, bug."

"Nuhuh" Alva responded and pressed herself into his warm side, molding into him like that was where she belonged. His presence calmed her raging thoughts at the same time as it helped clear her misty mind. "Will you teach me?"

Tsu'tey snarled and this time ripped himself away from her, showing how easily he could have done it before if he had truly wanted to. His eyes stared down at her with disgust that matched the rest of his face but she had felt his heartbeat, it was fast- faster than it was before she touched him, and therefore he wasn't as hateful as he thought he was. She smiled smugly at him and then winked.

"I will never teach you" He hissed at her, his words practically dripping with enough venom to drown her several times over, but she wasn't fazed by his show of anger nor contempt.

"Yes you will. I am patient, I can wait." She whispered to him before once again walking away from him before she could do so to her. Alva would always have the last word and with Tsu'tey it was no different, if anything she was more motivated to be her best self.

Alva giggled while braiding in a fancy piece of purple grass that she had found with Tru'iel into her hair and shifted her grip on the arrows she had stolen from Tsu'tey while he was trying to show how much he hated her and her kind. She was determined to get Tsu'tey to say yes to her, no matter how long it took, but it had to be because he wanted to and not because she forced him to. Eywa had plans for them, she could feel it in her bones, and she wasn't going to stand between Eywa and her plots- especially not when those plans ended up good for her.

 _Maybe I should prank him_ , she thought to herself while walking aimlessly away from where she had left the still fuming male behind. It had been a few days she had pranked someone, if you don't count the ones that had yet to be triggered back in her cage- like the kitchen door she rigged with a water bucket, or the dirt she had sewn into Quaritch's pillow and mattress, and she was itching to prank again. This time she wouldn't let him know it was her though, not like last time that he actually caught her, but on the other hand that time led to good things. Alva couldn't do another waterprank with him, he'd almost expect that and be more on his guard now that she had surprised him once, she'd have to think further on what prank to do but she was determined to do one. It would be a great way to relieve some pent-up stress and anxiety.

Yes, Alva would prank Tsu'tey again and it would be glorious. 


	13. Chapter 13

Alva took of one of her left anklets and submerged it in the small wooden bucket full to the brim with cold water. She scrubbed it to get rid of all the dirt it had collected and watched for any rips and tears in the material. It had a few tears in one of the smaller vines that would be easy to change when that time came, but the pearls were looking as flawless and shiny as the day her auntie had given them to her when she was just three years old. Alva scrubbed the bigger of the vines to get rid of a particularly tough spot of stubborn dirt and when she finally got rid of it she put it back on her ankle before sighing when she felt it shift back into its place.

She grabbed the bucket of rotten fruit before standing back up from her squat, twisting her father's ring while biting her lower lip in thought. The fruit mushed together and produced a wet, moist sound that made her cringe out of her thoughts of planning. Alva hadn't actually put a lot of thought into the planning of the prank and she preferred to wing it but in this case she at least needed some kind of an outline of it to avoid getting caught by the soon-to-be fuming warrior. Alva looked down on the mess she had thrown in that had created a colorful, though mostly brown and white, combination that made a wet sound every time she moved the bucket and was just at the border of being a liquid.

"This is disgusting" She stated and then giggled, spinning the bucket around in her hand for the sole purpose of hearing it make that very specific sound. "It's perfect" Alva sighed and smiled in awe of her creation.

The dreamwalker skipped along the stony path she had found, a mix of light, airy giggles- like the one you hear a child let out before they do something bad, squishy sounds from the wet mixture, and the clanking, clicking and bell-like sounds from all her accessories. It took only a few minutes of her carefully navigating the thick forest until she broke free of it and walked into the now not-so busy front of the hometree. There was no sign of Tsu'tey or any other Na'vi that might try to stop her from getting her revenge on her future teacher and her best friend.

She came to an abrupt halt in about the middle of the big clearing that had been formed from all the years the Omaticaya had lived there and walked the ground there. Alva glanced down at her bucket and then up again before doing the action a few more times, with each time making her grin grow wider and bigger until it had turned into a smile that could light up the darkest of nights when all other light had been lost. She spun it around a few times in her grip before she decided to start spinning around with it, being careful not to get any of the material on her clothing that she had scavenged, and humming a song she had thought up just after walking away from her bestest friend. Her voice was a mere whisper in the gentle wind that danced with her, plucking up some stray leaves to make them dance with her too- a sign.

Alva stopped spinning once she felt the shift in the air and the slightest hint of cold in the air around her before letting the bucket gently fly back and forth in her secure hold. She had a prank to execute. One that would go down in the songs of the people and be sung for years to come, even when her body had turned to dirt and her soul back with Eywa, to watch over the creation along with her. Her feet carried her into the hometree and up the wooden spiral stairs that led to the clan hammocks- more specifically Tsu'tey's hammock that was placed a bit away from the rest of the single hammock members, probably to give him the illusion of privacy, she mused.

Her giggles filled the air as she poured out half of the stinky content, watching it coat the delicate strings of his sleeping place and seeping into every part of it- even dripping through the spaces and down into the dark depths of the hometree. The sheer smell of it almost made her eyes water but she was used to smells much worse and could handle even the putrid of smells that would make others throw up. Her fingers tapped against the cold wood, her rings clanking against it to make a rhythm that gave her the urge to dance: she satisfied that urge by gently rocking her hips and moving her feet to the beat her drumming fingers let out as they hit the bucket.

When about half of the content had been poured over his hammock she pulled it up again and smiled smugly down at it. _That will teach him_ , she thought to herself as she stared down at her impressive work.

The first part of the prank had been completed but there was still the second part left: the one she was actually the most likely to be caught by Tsu'tey red-handed, since it involved her dropping down the rest of the mush over his head from a higher standing point. She had sneaked past him before but he might have begun looking up now, since that was where she hid most of the time- not that would help him by much since she was extremely good at disguising herself when she was higher up than the other (or just in trees or nature in general). It was still a risky move since he was probably meeting and talking to other Na'vi, and she didn't want any of her revenge to accidentally find its home on their head, and she wasn't sure there would be any good hiding spots wherever he was and therefore would probably be seen- if only by a little.

Alva walked out of the hometree and sighed when she felt the sun rays caress her skin and warm her up from the slight chill inside of the big tree. She stood up on her toes before going back down on the soles of her feet. She could hear him coming, which was good for her and bad for him- she had been very lucky lately.

Alva sprung into action and strode over to one of the trees that were scattered around their home before climbing up in it until she was hidden by the big, green leafs. She pushed a few of them to the side and saw Tsu'tey walk into view, along with the same old Na'vi she had accidentally thrown water at a few days ago- that she had also forgotten to say sorry to for said prank. Alva winced a bit but then shook her head a bit to clear her head, she couldn't afford to be distracted when he came closer.

" **...he....tsaheylu....Neytiri** " Alva heard the older one tell Tsu'tey while scratching his greying hair that was braided into small, intricate braids that connected in the back before growing into one big braid along with his tswin. He had blue clothes on, almost the same shade as his skin, and several rings on his arms that signified his rank as an old warrior and teacher.

Tsu'tey barked at the older man before bowing his head. " **I....rock...more...tawtute** "

Their conversation was fuzzy to her, all words mixing up in her head and the distance wasn't helping. They were heading her way, and were keeping a big enough distance that she would be able to hit only Tsu'tey and possibly just have minor splashing on the older Na'vi that would be no problem to get rid of. Tsu'tey on the other hand would be drenched in it, him, his clothes and his hair, and he wouldn't get rid of it fast enough. The mixture would stink up his skin and not come out of his hair for days- even with frantic washing and going through it all. Her skin buzzed as they grew nearer and her whole face lit up with anticipation at the soon-to-be prank.

She readied the bucket, only tilting it far enough that the content peeked out but not enough so that it would drip down and alert them that something was wrong. Alva saw Tsu'tey glance around the area- even staring up in the trees as if he expected her to pop out at any moment, which he honestly wasn't wrong to assume. She wanted to shake her wrist but the sound might give her away, instead she opted for playing with the rings on her left hand and twirling them around. She listened to them chatter before being distracted by the butterfly-like animal that landed on her nose and was staring right into her eyes. It had green wings with blue stripes on it that melted into the brown of its body. She named it Buffy.

She broke out of her staring contest with the friendly butterfly Buffy when the two voices was too close to ignore, sounding almost under her- the perfect spot to commence the prank. Alva raised a finger that Buffy hopped on to, grinned at the animal, and then pushed away some of the leaves so she could see the situation beneath her again. The two Na'vi had stopped, conveniently just in her range, a fact that made her snicker and her eyes crinkle at the sides. Alva stared down at the pair as the multi-colored goo rushed from the dirty bucket and flew down to where it would soon hit Tsu'tey's unsuspecting head and make a gigantic mess. The dreamwalker crouched down lower but kept some of the leaves pushed to the sides so she could see the face he made when the cold hit him.

Alva cackled when she heard the angriest, most furious, and absolutely disgusted scream of her life that made her clutch her stomach as shook from the heavy, uncontrollable laughter. Her stomach rolled from the now painful laughter that made tears fall from her eyes and hands shake in the way she loved. Alva heard the hisses, snarls and barks of Tsu'tey down below- she even heard her name being yelled out several times, a fact that only made her laugh heavier. She tried her tears and tried to sit up straight but as soon as she heard the loud growling and furious stomping of feet her she fell back down.

"You can come down now, Al'va" A voice called up to her, making her blood run cold before she relaxed and parted the leaves to look down at whoever had found her out. It was Mo'at- the Tsahìk of the Omaticayan people, and Neytiri's mom. Mo'at stared up at her with an expectant look before motioning for her to join her on the ground.

Alva shrugged and jumped out of the tree with Buffy still attached to her pinky, the fall only slightly ruffling the wings and making the tiny creature cling harder to the finger. "I see you" She bowed her head before snapping it right back up to stare at the woman who was directly linked to Eywa.

"It was a dangerous thing you did" The spiritual leader said, her voice ringing with age-old wisdom and experience. Her words were harsh and stern but held the same sparkling mirth as her eyes did. "But for you I expect it not to be. Tsu'tey have never been pranked before, and you, Al'va, have done it twice" Her head tilt slightly to the side and her hands clasped in front of her stomach.

Alva nodded frantically, her chest puffing with pride at having been the first one to be able to prank the arrogant male. "Yes, Tsahìk. First I threw water at him but now I threw something else..." The dreamwalker giggled and placed a hand in front of her mouth. "He won't get it out of his hair for weeks"

"Good job, dreamwalker" Mo'at said, making Alva freeze before grinning at the other woman, showing just a hint of her sharp canines. "It does not scare you that I know who you are?" The Na'vi asked in a confused voice, as if the concept was alien to her.

Alva shook her head with sparkling eyes that had just a hint of cloudiness that was starting to take over now that the rush was wearing off. "No, Tsahìk. Eywa does not keep secrets, and I have nothing to hide" She wiggled her extra fingers, making an extra show of twirling her rings there. "If it was not meant to be this way she would have not made it so. I'm so happy to meet you, though, every since I got here I've been dreaming about seeing you. Get it? Dreaming. Isn't it ironic" Her voice had a dreamy tilt to it.

Mo'at hummed and stepped closer to the other woman, stretching out a hand to catch a few of strands of her black hair. " You are not ashamed of being caught?"

"No, why would I be?"

"Many would be", was her short answer as she pressed down on the strands as if to test the quality and texture of it.

Alva shrugged and wiggled her toes in the ground that had been ripped up by Tsu'tey's furious walk. "I'm not like many people. We are all different" She reached behind her to grab her tswin and then offered it to the Na'vi that was inspecting her, with a look that screamed 'obviously'. "I'm surprised that you caught me. Not many can find me when I'm hiding."

"You were laughing loudly" Mo'at offered as her explanation before disappearing behind Alva, who was rocking on her feet as she started to grow antsy at being still for so long. Her english was the same harsh, broken and heavily accented as it had been during Tsu'tey's trial and Alva was happy it hadn't changed- she quite enjoyed the other woman's rough way of speaking. Hard and usually without soft edges that could command an entire room but still hold the amount of wisdom to make even the simplest and most illogical things sound wise and right.

She smiled. "Will you tell everyone?" Her voice didn't waver and her eyes had regained the vacant, misty look that was her trademark. Alva wasn't scared of being outed, but she had hoped to keep her cover for a bit longer so she could more lowkey convince Tsu'tey to teach her without people's opinions weighing them down.

"No" Mo'at replied as she lifted Alva's tail and then slinging it back down. "Apologize to Tsu'tey and you secret will stay secret from my people"

"You got it, boss lady" Alva giggled and winked at the matriarch of the clan, her eyes already sparkling again at the thought of talking to her mighty warrior. Her heart warmed that Mo'at would keep her secret without actually having a reason to do it, but by the half-hearted inspection of her avatar body she suspected that the strong, powerful woman had already found out and inspected her a long time ago. 


	14. Chapter 14

"I heard from Jake that you've been running around with the Na'vi" Quaritch stated with a dissatisfied frown on his face and a tug of his lips.

Alva nodded with a proud smile on her shiny face. "Uhuh. The leader even told me I'm allowed to be there. Isn't it wonderful!" She squealed and wiggled in her seat with happiness that she had been allowed to stay with the feared clan of forest Na'vi. "Eywa is good"

The man snorted and dragged a hand through his grey hair. "Don't tell me you believe all that crap Grace and those natives have been telling you."

The woman snorted and kicked her feet up at the desk in front of her that Quaritch usually does the little paperwork he's assigned, making her anklet shake and the bells on it jingle. "Et tu Quaritch? I know Eywa's real, I can feel her presence. I think you're just jealous because you're not strong enough to embrace her" Alva pointed a finger to her temple and grinned at the man. "But I am and now I can see it all so clearly." She threw her hands up in the air and giggled.

He shook his head again and leaned against the metallic table with the hint of a malicious smirk on his face. "You run around in the forest with the blue space monkeys, that's fine, that's duty. Losing yourself to their savage ways on the other hand is just weak. Eywa doesn't exist, there is no goddess of the forest protecting you."

"She will forgive you for not believing." Alva stated, just like she had with her brother. Her raised foot tapped against the hard surface it was resting on.

"You can't be serious about believing in all of that, Alva. I knew you weren't all right in the head but this is ridiculous"

She snorted and let her head drop back. Alva's eyed dimmed and a mist clouded them. "It's easy to deny it when you haven't experienced it. You hide in the base with your metal suits and then try to tell me what's real and not. This could be a dream for all you know"

"This is why we got you that tracker. Can't have anymore of you people running off on us" He grumbled and pushed her legs off his desk. "Those bodies you're playing around with costs millions."

"I'd pay a lot more if it meant I'd get to experience this." Alva deadpanned and pointedly placed her feet back up on the desk and on Quaritch's hands. "The spirit of Pandora calls to me, this is my home and not you or my brother will ever take that away from me."

The tall man pushed her legs off his desk once more, this time with an irritated growl and a glare. "We're your allies, not them. Remember where you're from and get your head out of that damn cloud."

"I'm from Earth, Quaritch, I haven't forgotten" Alva placed her feet back up on the desk for the third time and really dragged her socks across the object as if to mark her territory. "But Pandora is my home, that's where my loyalties lie." Tru'iel's face popped into her mind, smiling and showing her different foods before it faded and was replaced by Mo'at staring at her with pride and mirth until that shifted into Kida's eyes staring at her with that same loyal and happy look she always had in her eyes when she was with Alva. As Kida's face faded Tsu'tey's formed, the brief tugs of his lips when she said something he thought was funny, the way he protected her when he thought Kida was going to attack her and the carefree, happy expression he had before he found out she was a dreamwalker. "Pandora has spoken, you know, reckoning will come and I only hope that you and everyone else on this base, and the other realises that before it's too late."

"That's all bullshit. Don't even try, now get the hell out of my office before I cuff you up"

"Sir yes sir" Alva hopped off the chair, saluted Quaritch with a grin and then skipped out of the office with an almost childlike glee.

\---

Alva sat on one of the desks in the lab as the other workers rushed around, trying to pack up everything they would need for their new place. Max Patel was running around like a chicken without a hen and Grace was on her third cigarette in the last twenty minutes. Alva was calmly sitting cross-legged on the desk, humming and shaking her bracelets in an offbeat together with her anklet. She hadn't moved a single muscle trying to help them, it wasn't like she was going to use any of the things they were packing down anyways-- all she needed was her link machine and food and she'd be good to go.

So where are we going?" Jake asked as he wheeled inside the chaotic mess that was the main lab. He had his big backpack already on his back and freshly showered.

"Getting out of dodge" Grace responded as she stared down at Jake with a less-than impressed look on her face, one she had gotten after Alva told her about Jake reporting to Quaritch. She was dressed in the same kind of clothes she always wore whenever she had to leave the base in human form. "I'm not about to let Selfridge and Quaritch micro-manage this thing. There's a mobile link up in site 26 we can work out at. Way up in the mountains"

Norm perked up at the word 'mountains' and walked closer to where Grace and Jake was talking and past where Alva was sitting, still humming and kicking her legs back and forth. "The hallelujah mountains?"

"That's right" Grace responded and turned around to face the excited man.

"Are you serious?"

Grace nodded with a smile on her face. "Yeah"

"Yesss" Norm said while pumping his hand in the air as he dragged out the word. He laughed before picking up a piece of equipment near where Jake was sitting, staring at them. Norm's laughter quieted down when he saw the confused look on Jake's face. "The legendary floating mountains of Pandora? Heard of them" He snarked and walked away without another word.

Alva chuckled and threw a ball of paper at Norm's head before smiling innocently when he glared at her while rubbing his head. "Don't be silly, Norm. Jake doesn't know much, yet. He is like a baby"

\---

"Are we there yet?" Alva asked for the millionth time while laying spread out on the floor of the helicopter as they flew towards the hallelujah mountains. Her head was laid by Grace's feet, her arms hanging off one side of the helicopter and her feet off the other. She was looking every bit of a blue starfish as she felt.

"No" Grace sighed and pinched her nose. "We're barely any closer than we were ten seconds ago when you last asked"

She blew a raspberry and raised her hand weakly to watch how her rings shimmered and glowed in the bright light. "You're no fun. I wanna climb some mountains and you're being slowpokes"

"If you don't shut up soon I'll ask Trudy to leave you here and let you find your own way up to the link" Grace snapped and turned her head around to look at the sky around them. "You'd like that, thought, wouldn't you?", she asked Alva who was staring up at her hopefully.

Alva nodded her head and flew up into a sitting position. "Yes. Please? Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?" She widened her eyes and pouted. "I really do wanna climb the mountains"

"No" Norm, Grace and Jake answered in unison, making Alva whine and pout with a petulant glare on her face.

She crossed her arms over her chest and slumped her back. "But I wanna climb, and you can't stop me!" Alva stood up, fully prepared to jump off the helicopter and on the mountain they were currently flying by. It would be a bit of a leap but not impossible, especially if she could build up enough momentum.

"You're not jumpin off the helicopter, Alva" Grace deadpanned and catched the woman's wrist in her hand, restraining her and keeping her from jumpin. "We'll be there soon, just don't fall. The paperwork would be astronomical"

"I promise" She squealed and spun around before throwing her arms around her friend, squeezing her until the older woman coughed and forced Alva's arms away from her. "I can't believe I'm going to climb the ayram alusìng." Alva sighed and her eyes clouded over as she dreamed about climbing.

"Yup we're in the flux vortex" Grace told Jake before turning her head to Trudy and Norm, who were both talking in the front part of the helicopter. "

Awa snapped out of her daydream when she felt the change in the air and saw the thick mist that surrounded them. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed as she stared at the massive mountains with vines hanging off the bottom that snaked their way up to the top, and the waterfalls that fell from the mountains and dissolved into white spray at the bottom. Her fingers twitched and her hands moved without her knowledge as if stretching out to touch the floating wonders.

"Hey limbs stay in the 'copter" Trudy told Alva when she noticed that the human had been walking towards the edge of the helicopter with outstretched hands and a face fully focused at the sight. "Don't want any accidents"

"But they're so pretty" Alva awed but listened and sat down on the floor again. She giggled when she felt droplets of water hit her face and rainbows could be seen stretching across the sky, showering them in bright colors. Colors that weren't as vibrant as Pandora after dark but pretty and appreciated nonetheless.

Jake leaned forwards in shock and awe of the sight, making Alva grin and chuckle at the look on his face. "Do you think it's pretty, Jacky boy?", she asked him and laughed when he was too stunned to even register that she had spoken to him.

Trudy glanced at them and laughed softly, remembering the first time she had seen the majestic mountains. "You should see your faces"

"I am seeing my face" Alva replied confused as she watched her reflection in the glass that covered the cockpit. "Oh, you weren't talking to me, got it" She gave Trudy a thumbs up after seeing the amused look on her face, and then retreated back in her seat while watching mesmerized at the mountains that they were flying past.

The rest of the ride was silent until they landed on one of the floating mountains when they all walked off the helicopter and towards the module that shimmered in the light. Alva rushed towards it while the others took their sweet time, she was eager to settle in and then link in her avatar body. That and she desperately wanted to climb.

Alva walked through the airlock and just as soon as she walked inside the actual linking room she heard the door open and the sound of heavy footsteps coupled with the slight screech from Jake's wheelchair. She shrugged her backpack higher up her shoulder and kept on walking, touching everything she thought looked interesting and even pushing some things off the shelves or desks. She stopped in her steps when she saw the fridge that had a couple of photographs of them that showed Grace and a couple of Na'vi outside of a wooden building.

Alva picked one off and then smiled when she saw that one of the Na'vi children were Neytiri and another girl that looked much like her but older. This must be from the school, she thought, before it went bad. She put the picture back on the glass and kept on walking, shoving the slight hint of anger and sadness she felt when she thought of what happened to the children at that school.

"Jake, take number two, it's the least glitchy. Norm, I need you to operate Jake's link" Grace the two men once the other parts of their group had catched up to Alva who was already sitting by one of the linking units, waiting for whatever Grace had to say to her, and waiting for her opportunity to talk to the older woman. "Alva you take number four, the one you're sitting by"

"Already ready, ma'am" She grinned cheekily and tapped the lid of the unit. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Alva's smile almost falls off but it only dims slightly as Grace walked closer with a confused look on her face.

"Sur-"

"Hey. You got a problem?" Jake asked Norm, interrupting Grace, as the other man walked past him while glaring.

"I trained for three years for this mission. I speak the language fluently." Norm's voice was rising until he was almost yelling as he turned towards Jake. "He falls off the turnip truck and all of a sudden he's a cultural ambassador?!" Norm exclaimed, his chest rising and falling violently. "And she, a crazy woman with no training whatsoever sneaked into hometree and now she's just suddenly allowed to be there but no other humans are?!"

Grace, who now stood next to where Alva was sitting gave Norm a pity look. "It's not our choice, Norm"

Alva stared at Norm with kind eyes and a gently, closed mouth smile that made her face light up and her cheeks slightly puff. "Eywa has plans for you, Norm, glorious ones that would make even Jake green with envy. She has a plan for all of us" She spoke and leaned her face on her hand with the elbow placed on the lid.

Norm didn't listen to her but instead continued to glare at Jake, furious. "Yeah, well I didn't come out here to wash the dishes while you're on some interspecies booty call" The man turned on his feet and stomped out of the room.

"If he wanted to come with to the Na'vi so bad he should have asked" Alva spoke up after a while, her eyes shining with naivety. "I'd have snuck him in with me" She turned to Grace.

"It doesn't work like that, Alva. We can't choose" She responded and placed a hand on Alva's head, fingers brushing through her curls. He can't go far", she continued, this time aiming her words at Jake who was staring after his friend. "Let's get you in and then you and I can talk" Grace gestured for Jake to get in his link before patting Alva on the head and leaving.

After maybe five minutes or less Grace came back to Alva, brushing her hands off on her pants and lighting a cigarette. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Did you know that my brother injected a tracker in my neck?" Alva bluntly asked while playing with the bands on her fingers and her foot tapping the floor.

"A tracker?" Grace asked sceptically, her hand placed on her hip. "Why would he do that?"

"To track me" Alva said in a 'duh' tone and a discontent smile. "To control me and make sure that while I'm not in the cage he can still control me like he used to."

Grace stared at her mutely for a second, formulating a response and fumbling for words. "No. I didn't know he did that. But you have to see it from his side, you did run off without telling anyone."

"So did Jake" Alva pointed out and spun her bracelet around her thin wrist. "And you don't see him being treated like an animal"

"That's not the same. Listen, we all feel protective of you, more than we do Jake. He can protect himself, and you-"

"And I'm weak" Alva finished Grace's sentence and bitterly chuckled. "I snuck into land you could only dream of. I got verbal permission from the Tsahìk, something that Jake only got because of the atokirina. I can take care of myself. I have Eywa on my side" She finished, her voice gradually getting more and more dreamy until the last sentence was a mere breath and eyes vacant and dimmed.


	15. Chapter 15

Alva pointed at one of the white clouds painted on the blue day sky above where she laid. "That one looks like a cow" She muttered and heard Kida let out a grunt of what she assumed was agreement. "You silly girl, you don't know what a cow is", Alva let out small pearls of giggles and stroked a hand down Kida's head that was resting on her stomach. The dark beast huffed and nuzzled closer to Alva's stomach, the warmth of her skin seeping into the other's.

"That looks like a austrapede. I've never seen one of them before, have you eaten one?" Alva tilted her head as she looked down on her animal companion, her tone questioning and full of mirth. "Of course you have. You're the bestest palulukan out there, the prettiest too", she grinned and tickled the the predator under her chin.

She looked up at the sky again, seeing the darkening of the previously pure white clouds. "I think it's time for me to go back to the hometree before Tsu'tey and the others disappear inside. Will be a pain to find him in there."

Kida looked up at her with wide, sad eyes and whined when the animal felt Alva pull away from their cuddle. Alva leaned down and patted her animal on the head before gently pushing it off her lap and standing up from where she laid on the grassy floor. Her heart ached at the sound but she couldn't stay there looking at the clouds for the rest of her life, and she wanted to dance in the rain after talking to Tsu'tey again. Alva had danced in the rain on Earth but never on Pandora; her brother always made sure to keep her inside during the rain for some reason, and so far it hadn't rained enough to have the effect she wanted.

"I'm sorry girl" She whispered before pulling out a piece of meat she had taken from the chefs of the Omaticaya and throwing it to the animal who was giving her best puppy eyed look. "I'll see you later. Make sure to eat something. Byee" Alva giggled and skipped away from the scene with her little basket swinging in her right hand, humming under her breath as she felt tiny droplets of water falling on her grinning face.

The rain had increased by the time she walked inside the hometree and was now pattering softly on the ground outside the entrance, bringing in a slight chill to the Na'vi crowded together inside the first hollow. Alva panted softly, her hair wet and laying flat against her back and forehead, the few pearls and golden strings she had in it were barely hanging on. She looked around the room; some Na'vi were sitting together in groups, doing their chores or chattering amongst themselves, children ran around playin, hanging in branches and rushing up and down the stairs, but no Tsu'tey. The one Na'vi she currently had to see wasn't there. Alva snickered.

"I knew it" She said. "I knew I should have left earlier." Alva continued, her voice tinkling and barely audible over the loud sounds of the clan around her.

She sighed, shrugged her shoulders and started walking towards the spiralling stairs that led to the first level of hammocks and hollows that were used by many of the different Na'vi professions; such as healers, Mo'at's spiritual sanctuaries and planning rooms. She climbed up the stairs in long, graceful, almost leaping steps. Several Na'vi passed her as she rushed up the stairs, sometimes taking two or more steps a time, but none of them stopped her; none of them even knowing of her secret or suspecting it. To them she was the strange niece of Tru'iel that didn't know the language or ever learnt the Na'vi way.

When she reached the top she had only stumbled once, when a child came running down them and didn't have time to stop properly before falling straight into Alva who was mid-leap at the time. Alva scouted the room, slightly crouched and tail swinging gently behind her before it swung faster when she spotted Tsu'tey sitting on one of the ledges talking to a fellow hunter. The hunter was short, hair shaved in a similar style like that of Tsu'tey and held minimum decorational pieces in it, he also had a plain loincloth, no necklace but a small band on his upper bicep. Tsu'tey hadn't seen her yet, his face relaxed and with the hint of a grin on his lips. Some of his braids were undone and hanging down his back and neck, tempting Alva to touch them.

"Tsu'tey" She called out to him, waving her hand and smiling at him. "I talk you second?"

Tsu'tey's head snapped towards her and set in a deep frown before glaring at her. "No", he responded and went back to talking to his friend.

"Please." Alva whined, her eyes pleading with him. "Only seconds", she put up two fingers as if to show him how little of his time she would steal. Her tail curled around her leg before and ears flickered.

"Fine." He grunted and got up to his feet before walking up to her. "What do you want?", Tsu'tey barked at her, his eyes glaring at her and mouth curled down into his regular scowl. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted impatiently on his feet.

"I wanna talk in private" Alva replied with a shy grin on her painted lips. "C'mon 'Tey" she smiled and grabbed his arm before leading both of them away from the hammocks and into one of the empty hallows, or rather rooms, on the same floor.

The room she dragged him into was light, the walls covered in different materials that hung from branches like drapes or paintings, and pillows scattered around the clean wooden floor. A thin smoke lingered in the room and a wooden pipe laid on the bigger, red and golden pillow in the center of the circle of pillows. Alva turned around and pulled the green drape to cover the opening of the hallow, giggling as she saw the expression on her best friend's face.

"What do you want, tawtute?" He snarled as soon as she had closed the drape and shielded them from the others. He leaned on one of the walls, arms crossed over his chest and one foot slightly crossed over the others.

"Teach me" She smiled up at him as she plopped down on the pinkest pillow that made a slight tinkling sound from the bells as her weight smushed it. "You can't say no forever"

"How many times does it take for you to understand no?" Her best friend and future teacher barked at her, pushing himself off the floor and stepping towards her in what she assumed was supposed to be threateningly or intimidatingly.

"Until you say yes" Alva giggled and twisted her bracelet around her wrist, looking over the slight tear Kida had made in one of the vines there. "Would it really be so hard to teach me? I'm a good student but terrible at obeying orders", she rubbed her chin in thought before she chuckled and winked at Tsu'tey, who was staring mutely at her with a weird look in his eyes and a tug of his lip.

"Why do you want me to teach so bad?" His accented words flowed out of his mouth like honey, Alva's favorite sweet. His eyes were sharp but not yet glaring at her.

"You're the best" Alva shot back at him, briefly glancing up from her inspection before moving on to her father's ring. "Besides, it's the will of Eywa. So save us both some effort and just say yes."

"I will never teach a demon like you. Eywa would never say that" He snarled at her, his eyes lit with fire and hands clenching by his sides, shaking with anger and rage. Alva narrowed her eyes at her, seeing the slight waver in his glare and the almost invisible tug of his lip.

"I will keep asking until you say yes, you know that right?" Alva giggled and threw a blue pillow decorated with red strings. "Now sit down and we can talk about the terms" She was shocked, as she always was, by how Tsu'tey was the only person that managed to keep her focus and her mind clear. Her eyes were sharp, only a bit of the usual cloudiness or vacancy they usually held with other people.

Reluctantly Tsu'tey sat down, stiffly, on the pillow that she had thrown on him while staring her right in the eyes. "I will not teach you."

"Yes you will" Alva insisted, grinning at the Na'vi. "I will never give up"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes", she said and dragged out every letter of the word. Her hand shot to the back of her neck before rubbing the aching spot that held the bulky tracker under it. "I think you should know that there's a tracker in my neck", Alva sheepishly admitted, wincing slightly when she pushed one of the more hurting spots.

Tsu'tey shot to his feet, a snarl coming from his curled up lips, ears flat against his shaven skull and tail swinging with deadly calm behind him. "Tracker?", he snarled at her. "You show location of hometree to humans?!" Spittle flew from his mouth as rage built up in his deadly body, tensing every muscle and clenching his jaw. "I should kill you, demon"

"I didn't ask them to do this to me" Alva whispered, a sad smile on her lips as she stared up at the absolutely livid and murderous Na'vi male in front of her. "I would never do this willingly. The Omaticaya is my home, not that cage"

"Why should I trust your words?!" He paced in front of her, steps loaded with anger and hands clenched white. "How do I know you are not planning to kill us!"

Alva sighed, stood up and walked over to where Tsu'tey had momentarily stopped. "Do you want me to prove my loyalty?", she asked him with sparkling eyes but her hands shook as she thought of what she had to do, and the consequences of it.

"How can you prove this?" He asked her, his words thicker and harder to understand the angrier he got.

The dreamwalker winked at him before leaning down and grabbing the knife that was strapped to his thigh. "By doing this." She replied, tapping her neck with the knife and walking back to her pillow before plopping back down on it was if she was not about do to what he thought she was.

Tsu'tey stopped pacing, his muscles relaxing and face dropping. "Alva, no", he warned her, his green, scared eyes glared at her, finger pointing at her. "Do not do this", Tsu'tey spat at her, tail flicking around behind him.

"I have to prove myself, I see that now" Alva replied, massaging the back of her neck before lightly scratching the skin there with the sharp edge. Small beads of red blood rushed out of the shallow scratch, not even touching the thing she wanted out of her body.

She inhaled sharply before digging the knife into her flesh, wincing in the burning pain before the winces turned to shrieks of pain. Blood rushed freely from the wound, coating her neck, hand, knife and pillow in bright crimson that Tsu'tey would never forget the memory of, it would forever be imprinted in his memory. Tears ran from her red eyes like rivers and blood from where she had bitten her lip painted her blue chin red, almost like a war paint some of the tribes used.

Tsu'tey stared at her, stunned and frozen into place at the sight. He wanted to rush to her but his muscles wouldn't move. His body shook and eyes wide, frighten and burning from being open for too long. He couldn't look away from the woman digging into her neck, for him, to prove to him that she wasn't willingly giving up information.

Alva screamed, the sound piercing his ears and making him escape the sight. She sobbed, chest falling and rising with each labored breath before she dug the knife in deeper, finally reaching the tracker they had placed far down. The knife clattered to the floor, spreading droplets of her blood on the floor around it, some of them falling on his feet. Rivers of red liquid fell from her fingers and all around her before she dug her fingers into the burning wound that would leave a jagged scar after it. Alva looked up at him, smiling before screaming one last time as she pulled out the tracker and throwing it at his feet. It was bloody and had tissue attached to it.

"There", she breathed out, smiling brightly at him through the vibrating flashed of hot white pain coursing through her. "Is that proof enough?"

"You are crazy, woman" Tsu'tey's voice trembled as he bent down to grab the small tracker that had led to all of this. It was grey and had a red light blinking. He crushed it in his hand, ignoring the slight sparks burning his hand; it was nothing against the pain it had caused his student. Admiration, pride, surprise and disbelief bloomed in his chest as he stared down at the smiling woman covered in her own blood. How could he possibly deny her after this? After she showed him how brave and strong she is.

"Will you teach this crazy woman?" Alva giggled and scratched her cheek. Her neck was numb but blood was still steadily flowing out of it, not yet fatal but would be a pain in the coming days. 

"Yes" He uttered the word, his eyes still wide with surprise and his breaths shocked and shallow. Everything in his shook, his hands more than anything, and he was still sweating from the display. Tsu'tey's heart was racing in his chest, almost painful at this point.


	16. Chapter 16

(Tsu'tey's POV)

"Will you teach this crazy woman?" Alva giggled and scratched her cheek. Her neck was numb but blood was still steadily flowing out of it, not yet fatal but would be a pain in the coming days. 

"Yes" He uttered the word, his eyes still wide with surprise and his breaths shocked and shallow. Everything in him shook, his hands more than anything, and he was still sweating from the display. Tsu'tey's heart was racing in his chest, almost painful at this point.

The dreamwalker giggled, making Tsu'tey give her a funny look as he had never met someone who would smile, laugh and giggle after digging themselves in the neck. His hands shook, his whole body vibrated as he took a step towards her. His head spun and eyes unfocused. Never had he seen a human or Na'vi willingly harm themselves like that, as necessary as it was, she had proved her loyalty to them, and him.

"Alva" He muttered, his voice thick. "Don't move", Tsu'tey ordered her when he saw how she swayed with every breath. Maybe she had dug deeper than she thought and cut things she shouldn't have.

"I'm painting, 'Sey" She whispered, her arms swaying at her sides with scarlet red dripping down and forming small puddles wherever they hit. "Isn't it beautiful. Come paint with me", Alva giggled and stretched out a bloody hand towards him with shining eyes and a twitching grin. "We'll make the prettiest painting, so pretty that even Eywa will marvel at it"

The warrior sent her a strange side-eyed look and took one more stride forward, slowly making his way to the wounded dreamwalker. She didn't seem to notice her condition at all, none of the severity or pain anyways. Alva had her chest puffed in pride and her eyes stared smugly at him because of her victory over him. Tsu'tey had to admit that he had grown less reluctant to teach her with each passing day, her constant appearance and evident difference from the humans, coupled with her spirituality and odd manners, and was more testing how long she would keep asking until giving up. He wouldn't want a student who wasn't determined or ambitious.

"Don't do that." Tsu'tey growled at her when her hand went to the back of her neck to get more 'paint' for her painting. "We need to get you to healers." He continued, glaring at her when she didn't even seem to hear him, much less see him. Her eyes were cloudy and vacant.

Alva nodded and took his outstretched hand slowly, her hand shaking and wet from the blood on it. Tsu'tey grabbed it and squeezed her hand. " **Foolish human.** " He muttered as he looked down on her. " **Crap, Ngeha is going to kill me** ", Tsu'tey muttered to himself in his native tongue.

"I don't speak na'vi, y'know, too much work and I thought whatever, I'm never gonna meet any of those aliens anyways" Alva was delirious. "But I was so wro-", her words were interrupted by a jaw-aching yawn that made her eyes water. "ng... I met you, didn't I? My alien teacher."

" **Sleep**." He commanded her, collecting her bloody body in his arms and walking out of the room. Her form shook against his strong chest and left behind streaks of dark-red blood that would crust and disappear but the memory of it would remain.

Alva snorted and nuzzled into his collarbone. "My granny used to tell me not to sleep when I injured my head, or I'd never wake up." She stared up at him with teary eyes, either from the pain catching up or the memory of her 'granny', Tsu'tey wasn't sure. "I'm a dreamwalker, if I go to sleep I'm waking up as a human again"

The warrior bristled and shook her. "Then no sleep for little demon, Ngeha is eager to meet you", he told her and took the first steps up the stairs, ignoring the bewildered looks his fellow Na'vi shot him and the bloody figure in his arm. "We are almost there, and then we will talk about training."

The dreamwalker sighed before her eyes threatened to flutter closed. "You will be the best teacher, I know you will. There's a reason I chose you"

Tsu'tey's chest puffed at her declaration, feeling proud of being the obvious pick from even a clueless dreamwalker and her seeing that he is absolutely the best at what he does. It flattered his ego to know that his skills were so obvious that she had picked up on them and decided to nag him until he trained her.

"We will see", he told her before hoisting her up to keep her from hitting the higher steps as he leaped up the steep stairs smoothly and gracefully. His hands weren't shaking as badly anymore and her comforting weight in his arms reminded him that she hadn't died, yet. "Do not sleep or I will not teach you"

Alva gasped and weakly slapped his arm before tracing some of the white spots there with a concentrated look on her face. "Don't say that." She whined and moved over to the spots a little bit higher on his bicep. "I worked hard for that"

He frowned when he caught sight of the extra finger on her hand, still not over her status as dreamwalker and 'demon'. Nevertheless he would still teach her because of the determination, bravery and admirable qualities she had. Tsu'tey was going to try and look the other way of her human nature. He didn't respond to her words but instead focused on which of the openings led to Ngeha's healing room on the third floor.

The Na'vi pushed aside the beads that acted as a drape, and walked inside the light hollow. There were multiple holes in the wall in front of him that led small dots of bright rays of light dance on the carpeted floor and bland walls. A hammock hung in the left corner and a big, crowded desk placed in the left. In the middle of the room was a big table made out of strong wood and tied together with a special kind of vine and mud that sealed it.

" **Would you look at that!** " A throaty voice exclaimed, making Tsu'tey jump a bit but not as much as he would have pre-training. " **If it isn't Tsu'tey te Rongloa Ateyitan coming to see me** "

" **I see you, Head Healer Ngeha.** " Tsu'tey shifted Alva to hold her with only one hand and messily did the appropriate gesture and bowing his head slightly. He looked at her, it had been a long time since he had last spoken to the old Na'vi woman but she looked the same as he remembered; tall, a dark blue with splotches of light blue on her arm and across her chest, a black, chiseled bone pierced through the bridge of her nose, wild and untamable hair with strands of greys and whites growing from the top, and lastly-- a small necklace that rested at the bottom of her throat that had a big feather that was vibrant pink and with strands of grassy green in it-- a gift from her deceased mate Atxa.

Alva was still in his arms, staring at the impressive woman in front of her. Tsu'tey placed her on the table and firmly tugged her hands away from where they had clenched on his necklace. Her fingers were coated with dried blood that made flakes off them rain down to the floor.

" **What is wrong with her?** " Ngeha asked, stroking a finger down Alva's soft cheek. " **Did you hurt her?** "

" **No.** " Tsu'tey responded and brushed off the blood on his chest before drying his hands off on the material Alva was laying on. " **She did this to herself.** "

" **Why?** "

He shook his head and gently coaxed Alva to turn her head to the side, her head being so far up the clouds she probably didn't even know he was there. " **They put a 'tracker' in her and she took it out to prove her loyalty to me** "

Ngeha tilted her head and ghosted her finger over the deep wound glaring at the both of them, proof of the lengths the human beneath them would go to. " **She is special to you** ", she told him and then shot him a look when he tried to deny it. " **If she was not special you would have let the human bleed out. You wouldn't have let this human bother you so much if she didn't mean anything to you** "

Tsu'tey didn't answer Ngeha, his silence speaking louder than any words could. Alva unconsciously twisted the bracelet on her left hand and the two Na'vi stared at the human as the motion produced light sounds of jingles, in a melody they had never heard before. Together the pair gently turned Alva so she laid on her stomach before Ngeha swept her hair to the side and observed the self-inflicted wound there.

" **Did you ask her to do this?** " Ngeha demanded the answer as blood angrily pooled up when she touched the edges of the uneven wound.

" **She said she would prove her loyalty to me.** " He explained to the older Na'vi with a bit of shame on his face when he saw the scolding look on her face. " **I asked her how and then she did this before I could stop her** "

 **"It is a shame, but Eywa will protect he** r" Ngeha spoke before turning to her desk and grabbing a brown jar with a green salve in it that had brown flakes in it. **"I made this last moon when your brother hurt himself during training, when Ri'el threw that spear at him** "

" **It is part of the training to get hurt, best way to learn** " He offhandedly responded and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

" **Then I guess Alva's training has already begun** "

\---

BACK TO ALVA POV:

"Jake", Alva sang out as she bounded over to where he stood talking with some of the natives. "I did it."

"Did what?" He responded with a confused shake of his head. "What is that on your neck? Did you fall or something?"

"I convinced Tsu'tey to be my teacher. Isn't it fantastic, can't you hear Eywa roar in happiness and the ikrans croaking songs of my success!" Alva giggled and twirled a curl around two of her ringed fingers. "Got the tracker out of me too, killed two birds with one stone"

He looked at her wearily. "How did you get out the tracker?"

"Easy peasy", she breathed out. "I took a knife and cut it out. Ngeha patched me up, look", Alva turned around and showed Jake the bandaged wound that had spots of blood shining through.

Jake shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder before bending down to talk to her. "Alva, that's dangerous. Don't hurt yourself."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child, you won't like me if you do", Alva had a bit of venom to her otherwise happy and relieved tone. "I did it for me, I don't want them to track me like I'm a wild beast. You they let walk free without any further action but me they track and try to shove in a cage. What makes your freedom worth more than mine?"

"Woah Alva" Jake put up his hands and gave her a weird look. "Your freedom is worth as much as mine. It's just that they trust me a bit more not to do anything stupid"

"You rushed towards an angtsìk and then ran away from a palulukan." Alva deadpanned and gave him a 'are you serious look?' "And I wouldn't have to do this if they didn't try to control me", she defiantly smiled and gave him a toothy grin. "And I would do it over and over again if it meant I'd be free"

"Maybe this is why they don't want you out here. You were bad before but look at you now, your eyes are so dull and far away I doubt you're even in there anymore" Jake spoke up defensively, dropping his hand from her shoulder and standing at his full height. "This is why they all worry, Grace, Selfridge, all of them. You can't be alone like this"

"I freed myself." Alva told him with a bright smile and a twirl of her rings. "You're my friend Jake, so I'll forgive you. So will Eywa but she's a bit protective of me", the airy and dreamy voice was back and Alva sighed internally in relief that she could take a step back.

"You're my friend too, but listen, take care of yourself" He advised her before nodding and leaving her behind.

"It's rude to walk away from someone like that", Alva states after he's out of hearing range, her mind already plotting her next prank and how to get him to respect her. It would certainly be easier than it had been for her to gain enough of Tsu'tey's so he'd teach her. Alva finishes her sentence with a pointed shake of her wrist that beat the tune he'd hear just before he got pranked by the woman he claimed wouldn't make it on her own. 


	17. Chapter 17

"You have hunted before?" Tsu'tey asked Alva with a frown on his face as the two walked towards the welcoming forest. Out of habit his eyes flashed towards the trees before he reminded himself that she was with him and not waiting to ambush him.

"They never look up." Alva said out of the blue as she skipped behind her teacher. "Too arrogant, and stupid." She giggled and looked longingly up at the branches far above them.

"Who?" He gruffed out and his eyes danced towards the trees again as if sensing the longing from the woman behind him.

Alva giggled and shook her head. "No, silly 'Sey. Everyone, even you." The dreamwalker emphasized the 'you' and threw a ball of grass she had made when she was waiting for him to show up earlier that morning. It hit him square in the back and he tensed, exhaled and then kept on walking. "Buzz kill"

"If you want to learn then be silent." Tsu'tey growled at her, his temper flaring, his words heavily accented and rough around the edges. The warrior squared his shoulders but refused to look back at her even when he heard her sweet giggling or when he heard the tell-tale pitter-patter of her feet as she skipped behind him, something you could only hear when she wanted to be heard.

"If you want to learn then be silent." Alva mocked him, even trying to mimic his accent and gait.

He snarled at her, tail flickering angrily behind him and eyes flashing. "If you were not hurt I would hurt you for disrespect."

"No you wouldn't." She giggled, knowing he was trying to scare her again but he was probably the safest Na'vi for her to be around. Alva looked around the area and found what almost looked like a pinecone only it was green and softer. She picked it up and twisted it around in her palm, making her rings get caught in the different sections, before she shrugged and threw it towards him.

The pinecone missed him by far, falling a good distance behind him. Alva shook her head and went to pick it up again when his voice stopped her right in her tracks.

"You are not strong enough to hit me, demon." He taunted her, a mix between a frown and a reluctant smirk was hidden from her. His tail was swinging gently behind him, showing how little of a threat he believed her to be, having apparently forgotten the numerous pranks she's done to him.

She snorted and jumped over the small green pinecone before closing the distance between them, wrapping her arms around one of his. Alva sighed and rubbed her chin against him in a very feline like manner. "The forest is happy for us, can't you feel it, 'Sey? The whispered words in the breeze, the softness of the grass under our feet? Signs, signs, 'Sey!"

He scoffed and tried to shrug out of her hold before realising she was not letting go of him. Tsu'tey stopped resisting but remained tense. "They say sky people cannot see, like rock, human rock." He said and kicked a rock on the ground. "But you speak as if you can talk to Eywa."

"Only the Tsahìk can talk to Eywa, she is the link between us and interprets her will." Alva's lips curled into a soft grin, making her cheeks puff up slightly as she stared up at Tsu'tey, though her eyes were staring into his she was not all there. Her eyes were misty and vacant. "I can only feel her, just like you. I see her but I can't talk to her."

"Maybe you are not a rock then. Perhaps you are a leaf." He retorted and smacked her with his tail before faking it as an accident, but Alva knew better and giggled.

"A leaf huh? I like the sound of that." The dreamwalker let go off his arm and swaggered away from him, looking back for just a second to send him a sly wink before disappearing among the trees.

\---

She was hanging down from a tree by her knees, swinging gently back and forth as she watched her teacher demonstrate how to properly handle a bow. Of course he was using his own bow and not the smaller and not as pretty one that she was going to use. Already Alva was looking forward to making her own bow out of the hometree after completing her Iknimaya and becoming a Na'vi woman.

"Do not bend back, always straight." Tsu'tey instructed her and slouched his back before straightening up to the correct position for bow handling. His eyes flickered to her from time to time, each time hardening when flickering back to the target in front of him.

"I get it. Don't slouch." She tightened the hold her tail had on the branch, feeling herself slip a bit. "What else?"

"Be patient, student." He hissed at her, showing his sharp canines. Alva blew him a raspberry before realising the saliva from it blew back in her face. "You are weak, so we will train your muscles. Come here." Tsu'tey ordered her and gestured for her to join him.

Alva let go off the branch and fell backwards towards the ground before landing gracefully on her feet. She strutted up to him, her anklets and bracelets clinging loudly with each step. Alva stopped besides Tsu'tey and took the brown training bow he offered her.

"I have dreamed about many things but never this." She spoke up while gazing down at the bow with wide eyes. Her voice was a dreamy whisper. "I have dreamed about you with another woman, I have dreamed about you falling, I have dreamed about me coming here and me finding Kida, but never have I dreamed about the feeling of holding a bow in my hands."

"Good?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "No. Bad feeling, one of pain and destruction. I'm not made for the hunter life." Alva glances up at him and smiles sadly. "I can't kill a living thing, not even the plants around us."

Tsu'tey scoffed and forced the bow back in her hands when she tried to pass it back to him. "Demon cannot be Na'vi if she cannot make clean kill." He clicked his tongue, his words holding a bit of a snear to them. A hint of respected shined in the corner of his eye before he blinked and it was gone. "Now straight back."

"Eywa will forgive me for learning it." Alva reassured herself as she stood straighter and lifted the bow until it was right in front of her eyes. An arrow laid thrown on the forest floor and she could almost see the shift in the earth that made it roll the slightest bit away from her. She smiled and shifted her hold on the weapon.

"Nono, legs go like this." Tsu'tey told her and tapped her on the legs to make her separate them a bit. "Balance, bug, if you shoot like that you will not hit your target and you will fall to the ground. Would be embarrassing."

Alva chuckled and dug her feet into the ground before exhaling and trying to pull the string back to her face. She looked at it confused when it barely budged and she made an 'aha' sound when she heard the amused snort from her teacher. "I don't have any arm muscles." She bluntly said and pouted.

Tsu'tey nodded and pushed her arm, watching her almost fall over from the power behind it. "You do not have muscles in whole body." He frowned again before his face relaxed and a hint of mirth entered his eyes. "It is as you say, you are not meant to be hunter."

She arched an eyebrow and gave him an amused grin. "Of course not. It's the will of Eywa."

"Still, tawtute needs to learn or she will not go through iknimaya." He reminded her in the gentlest tone he had used with her since he discovered her true nature. "Now you will not shoot arrow until you can pull bow right."

Alva tried to pull the string back to her but once again she could barely pull it halfway. "Am I doing this right? I'm left-handed and usually when you're left handed you have to do things differently. Do you know the pain of finding lefthanded sci-"

Tsu'tey bristled at her confession. "You should have said this before." He barked at her while glaring. " **Skxawng**. Switch hands and put right foot in front of left foot."

Alva giggled at how annoyed he was before doing as he said. She slightly bent her knees instinctually and already she could feel her arms shaking from holding the bow up, she had some muscles in her arms but they were all from climbing and not the same as what she needed to shoot a bow. Alva glanced over at Tsu'tey to see that he was observing her stance, scouting for any faults, his face was concentrated and in what she assumed was his 'teacher mode'.

"Relax lower back and shoulders." He mumbled and placed one warm, calloused hand on her shoulder left shoulder and the other on her lower back.

She nodded and relaxed slightly to keep herself from being too tense or slouch. Alva noticed that she could pull the string a bit further towards her now but her arms were tired and shaking. Her face was faced forward and concentrated on the big target that she would never be able to hit at this rate.

"Turn your head to right but do not turn body." Tsu'tey pushed her head to the right and the hand he had on her lower back was used to keep her torso turned forwards. "Not bad for first time, but still not good as Na'vi first time."

Alva beamed at him at that, the compliment--even if he didn't want it to sound like one-- boosted her confidence and gave her a little extra push. The dreamwalker inhaled deeply and at the exhale she pulled the string back and almost got it all the way back.

A few more tries coupled with extreme shaking in her arms and sweat shining in her face meant that she finally pulled it back all the way. Alva cheered and laughed as the bow fell from her hand and hit the ground with a woody clang. She put her hands on her knees as she let out mixtures of deep laughter, cheers and instinctual sounds she often heard the Na'vi themselves use. "I did it!" She laughed. "I did it, 'Sey! I did it!" Alva pulled herself upright and stumbled slightly but her beaming smile remained as she looked up at her stoic teacher whose lips hadn't even twitched.

"When you can pull back string with arrow and hit bullseye I will say 'good job', but no sooner." His voice drawled as he stared down his nose at her. "Now go again."

Alva stared pointedly at her practically vibrating arms, even slinging it limply towards him. "Can I take a break? I'd like to take a nap in that tree over there, with the pink flowers and green lianas? It looks dreamy." She gushed and made grabby hands towards the tree while looking at Tsu'tey. "C'mon 'Sey, don't you want to take a break too?"

"No." He forced through his teeth and pushed the bow back in her hands. "You said I was the best, this is why I am the best. You will rest when you have pulled bow right ten times."

She sighed longingly but grinned up at him nonetheless. Alva had picked him for a reason, this one of many. "If I do it correctly ten times you'll take a nap with me on that tree?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief and a teasing grin had replaced the amused one.

"If you do it correctly ten times I will let you take a nap in tree." He said with an air finality around him but Alva was never one to give up easily. Her best friend needed a nap too.

"If I do it right fifteen times you'll take a nap with me?" Alva challenged him with a daring look in her eyes. "I'll even let you pick the tree."

His eyes lit up with the challenge and a smirk grew on his face. "If you do it fifteen times we will take nap on that tree." Tsu'tey pointed to the tree she had been admiring before.

Alva took the bow from his hands, spread her legs before straightening up and pulling the string towards her. "In a row or overall?"

"Row."

"Ah." She whispered and pulled the string back once more, this one not going all the way but still further than she did in the beginning. Alva worried her lower lip between her teeth and tried again, tensing her stomach and accidentally her shoulders. This time the string went all the way, making pride blossom inside her.

"That is one time." Tsu'tey's taunting voice reminded her but she was determined to once more prove herself to the stoic hunter.

Alva released the string before pulling it back once more. She smiled when the string easily went all the way back but winced when she accidentaly hit her underarm with the string when she let it go, already she could feel the bruise blooming. She pulled it back once more and the number of successful pulls went up to a solid three, only twelve more to go until she would claim her prize.

"You should get ready for a nap, 'Sey." She giggled and her bracelets twinkled when she let go off the string a bit more aggressively than before.

Tsu'tey didn't respond to the teasing remark and Alva had a feeling he wasn't entirely against napping. It took maybe ten or fifteen more minutes before she got to the number fifteen and at that point her underarms were covered in red lines from when the string had smacked her and she had gotten a tear in one of the more fragile bracelets that she'd have to mend before the vine broke. Alva was sweating, but not as much as before, and her arms weren't hurting anymore but were a comforting numb and heavy. A smile screaming triumph was shining on her face and she looked up at Tsu'tey expectantly as she passed the bow to a surprisingly silent Tsu'tey.

"Guess it's nap time then, 'Sey." She giggled and placed her hand on his warm wrist where she grabbed and began tugging him towards his chosen tree.

" **......hope....** " Tsu'tey muttered as he let himself be dragged towards where they were going to take an afternoon nap together.

\---

**AN: Is it only me that reads all his lines in his voice, like with the accent and all?**

**Sneak peak on the first chapter of one of the two coming Avatar books I'm currently writing up (both Tsu'tey x OC fics, of course) :**

_The sign hanging from the giant-sized bed swung in the gentle wind as it was being wheeled down from the ramp of the big shuttle like aircraft. The name 'Meaui' was printed in bold black on it and shimmered ever so slightly in the bright sunlight. A cyan colored hand fell limply over the side of it, the lighter blue stripes shone in comparison to the much darker cyan that covered much of the body._

_"We need to hurry before she wakes up." A gruff voice spoke up, his voice cautious and eager. "Just imagine if the beast wakes up before she's contained. Selfridge would skin us alive"_

_A feminine snort could be heard as the woman pulled the hand up and placed it on the alien's stomach. "Shut up, Kyle"_

_"You know I'm right, Karen." Kyle shot back and glared at the blonde, middle-aged woman behind him. "If she wakes up and murders the lot of us it'll be all your fault. Bet those nephews of yours back home ain't gonna get those transplants if their aunt is the reason a million dollar project escaped"_

_"Just get it inside." Karen sighed and shook her head before pushing harder on the bed, eager to get inside and away from Kyle and his talk._

_The body on the bed twitched and groaned, making the crew transporting it flinch before they started running towards the entrance. The four people pushing the bed cursed the rocky ground and shouted at the people walking around in their machines as they raced against the clock, if Meaui woke up before she was supposed to then they'd all be dead before any of the other military people could react, and she would probably be gone before they could recapture, or kill her. The bit grey base before them seemed more and more like paradise with each slow passing second, and just before they got to the big doors they swung open and revealed a smirking Quaritch._

_"Is that her?" He asked them, tracing the angry red scars on his face that snaked to a good portion of the side of his head. His lips curled up, showing enough teeth to show his malicious intent._

_"Yes, sir." Kyle wiped the sweat off his brow and panted heavily as he stood leaning on the bed containing Meaui. "We need to get her into the avatar hanger before she wakes up."_

_Quaritch hummed and shifted on his feet. "Will it be enough to contain her?"_

_"Yes, sir." Karen was the one who answered this time, panting even more than the practically gasping Kyle, though she was barely breaking a sweat. Her hair had become undone in the wind and now looked more like she had stuck a finger in an outlet than carefully styled hair._

_"Good." He responded and turned around before walking away from the anxious set of workers._

**-End of sneakpeak-**


	18. Chapter 18

"Soo, Jake, what's training with Neytiri like?" Alva asked while replacing the vine that had a rip in it, the wood was in good condition but the pink vine was hanging together by literally a thread.

Jake scratched the back of his head with a thoughtful expression. "She calls me **Skxawng**. Norm told me it means idiot."

She giggled and twisted the new pink vine around the dark wood, lining up the insides so that the wood wouldn't scratch her skin. "'Sey calls me that too. What about the bow? Has she taught you how to do it yet?"

"Barely. Like, come on I can handle a gun so why wouldn't I know how to hold a bow." Jake sighed in frustration and pinched his nose. "She says I'm not ready to shoot yet, whatever that means, and that the forest doesn't allow me to kill anything yet."

"Which is the truth." Alva told him with a hint of a smirk. " The day will come when the mighty warrior Jake will finally be able to slay one of the horrible beasts of the kingdom of Pandora." She sighed and placed the back of her hand on her forehead as she leaned back dramatically.

"Hey! No need to mock me." He called out and smiled at his friend. "How's training with that guy anyway. I mean with Neytiri she listens to me, even if she calls me a baby and swats me with her tail. Do you guys even have normal lessons?"

Alva had to press a hand to her mouth to keep loud laughter from escaping her. "He's a professional, Jake. He trains a lot of the Na'vi children, and many of the newer hunters. Tsu'tey knows exactly what he's doing." She gave him an incredulous look. "And he listens to me, sometimes he doesn't answer but I know he's listening. I think you're just jealous that he's actually teaching me how to use a bow and you're not." Alva's voice had a bit of a hard tone to it but she kept a kind smile on her face as she battled his jealousy.

"I think he hates me." Jake confessed.

"He does." Alva confirmed with a small giggle. "You just have to prove yourself, no biggie."

"No biggie? He tried to kill me when we first met. How do you know he's not going to murder you in your sleep or when you two run off to wherever it is you two hang out." Jake fretted, his eyes searching for hers but she had gone back to finishing her bracelet.

"Are you scared of Tsu'tey, Jake?" Her amused voice asked him. "He hates you because you're human, and that you see about as much as a rock."

"A rock?" Jake tilted his head. "I see just as much as he does."

"You look but you don't see", she corrected him in a dreamy tone. Alva's glossy eyes turned towards him. "Have you talked to him? Because I have and I think you're just scared of him."

"I'm not scared of Tsu'tey!" He tried to defend himself, rising to his feet to glare down at her. "I'm just worried that you're going to get hurt by the-"

"The big bad Na'vi?" Alva finished his sentence and put the bracelet back on her wrist where it fell down comfortably at its usual position. "The Na'vi are not like us Jake, and neither is Neytiri even if your crush prevents you from seeing it. He expresses himself through his body language more than his words, most Na'vi do. Tsu'tey is just like your old generals or superiours back at home; serious, cold, strong and brave." She finished with absolute conviction in her tone.

"I don't see it." Jake sulked as he sat back down with his arms crossed over his chest. "Alva, he's no good. He doesn't even speak english!"

"It saddens me that you think that, Jake." Alva airily whispered to him but her face showed nothing but the usual happiness. "Eywa will show you the way, as she does to everyone. One day that way will lead to a point where you have to work together." Her smile held hidden knowledge and her eyes sparkled.

"Why are you so wise?" He asked her, confused.

Alva shook her head and pearls of giggles flowed into the air. "I'm not wise, silly. I just see and observe."

"So he's not hurting you? He gives off that vibe, with all his frowning and scowling." Jake mocked his expressions and smiled once he saw how much her face lit up until he realised she wasn't looking at him. Jake cringed and refused to look behind him.

" **Oel ngati kameie, Tsu'tey.** " Alva said and did the gesture. "Jake was talking about you."

Tsu'tey hadn't even looked once at Jake since walking up to her after seeing her frantic waving but now that he did, he looked at Jake as if he was below him and not worth his time. " **Oel ngati Kameie, demon.** " He returned the gesture, still scowling deeply. " **...come...me** "

Alva got up to her feet and danced away to where Tsu'tey stood, waving once at Jake before the two left. She put her arm in the crook of his, this time he didn't even bother trying to shrug out of her hold. "What are we doing?" She asked him and tilted her head before looking up at him. "I thought training was done for the day."

"We are picking hammock for you." He simply offered her and nodded to some of his fellow hunters they walked by, ignoring the looks they sent him for even touching Alva. "It is custom that Na'vi pick location."

Alva chuckled and looked up at him with that glint she got in her eyes before she did something he wouldn't like. "I know exactly where to put mine."

Tsu'tey sighed and glared down at her. "You are not putting it next to me. It is not allowed, demon." He shrugged his shoulders and gave her a slow pat on the head as if he was sorry for her.

"Lies. I spoke to the Tsahìk already and she told me anywhere I wanted, excluding where the elders stay and some other parts. So I am very much putting it next to you." She grinned smugly at him and reached up to pat his head in revenge of his pat. A revenge pat. "Don't lie to me Tsu'tey, I can handle the truth just fine."

He snorted as if he didn't believe her. "You can not handle truth. You are like baby-"

"But I'm your baby now." She cheekily remarked, watching his frown melt into one of pure shock at her words.

"You are a strange demon." He slowly forced out after a small time of absolute silence between the two.

"Of course." Alva giggled before steering him towards the giant tree they called home, glancing briefly on the tree she had slept in on her first night among the Na'vi. She was tempted to tell him about it but after realising that she may have to use it again she promptly shut her mouth again.

The main space in front of the kelutral was almost empty, some children still ran around and some grown Na'vi finished their chores but most of the Na'vi were already forming groups around the big fire. Her stomach rumbled as she thought about the many kinds of food that was served at each meal, especially the vegetarian options but some of the meat too. Night had fallen and torches had been lit both outside the hometree and around the most populated areas inside but also all the torches, and other kinds of lights, inside of the hometree to illuminate their home.

She giggled when one of the children ran up to her, gave her a bright pink flower, blushed and then ran away again to their giggling friends. Alva marveled at the flower before putting it her hair, securing it with the help of her hair.

"How exactly do I pick a spot for my hammock?"

"The hammocks are already there, you claim one that isn't already claimed." He curtly replied, his eyes lingering on her flower before they flashed back to the entrance to the hometree.

"Ah." Alva nodded her head and let go off his arm as soon as they walked inside the hometree, knowing that he wouldn't be comfortable touching her once they got inside. She saw him look down on her, in gratefulness or confusion, she didn't know but Alva grinned, showing her canines. "Don't worry Tsu'tey, I know." She didn't elaborate on what she knew but she didn't need to.

Alva waved at Tru'iel once she caught sight of her aunt and her friends. "She's my aunt." She playfully whispered to Tsu'tey, winking at him.

He looked down at her sceptically. "She is not." Tsu'tey realised after seeing the look on her face. 

"No, she's not but don't tell anyone." The dreamwalker whispered to him, casting him a faux suspicious look. "Don't worry. I know you won't tell."

The two walked up the spiralling stairs in comforting silence until they reached the floor he had his hammock on. Tsu'tey had already given up on convincing her not to choose the empty hammock on his right side and just wanted to get it over with so he could go and eat his food away from the weird demon.

"Where's yours?" She asked him with an excited look on her face that usually meant bad for him or anyone else.

"Come." He responded and led her over to where his hammock was, in one of the corners and closest to the wall. Tsu'tey liked the comfort of seeing the wall and not staring at another Na'vi and he prefered his privacy, which is why no one had claimed the hammock next to him.

"Ah, so this is where the infamous Tsu'tey rests at night." She giggled and before he could stop her she got in his hammock.

"Get out." He hissed at her, his tail swishing dangerously behind him and lips curled up to show his fangs. "Your hammock is next to mine."

Alva rolled around in it, spreading her scent and curiously touching the material. "This one is so comfy though. I don't know what I imagined but this was not it." Her eyes were sparkling with happiness and her smile beaming.

"Get out or I will take you out."

"I'm not getting out."

"Get out!" He snarled and leaned forward to grab her ankle but she rolled away, making him grasp air.

"Why? Are you going to sleep?" Alva curiously asked him from her position on her stomach and legs kicking in the air. "I think you need another nap-"

He shook his head, glaring darkly at her, which only made her laugh harder, before he too got into the swinging hammock. Tsu'tey easily grabbed onto her before pushing her out of his hammock and onto the branch in front of it and even though he was angry he made sure she wouldn't fall.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Alva giggled and walked to the hammock next to the one Tsu'tey was practically pouting in. "You don't like someone touching your stuff. It was very comfortable though." Her dreamy voice complimented his choice of hammock before rolling around in her own to 'claim it'.

Tsu'tey responded with an unhappy grunt as he turned his back to her.

"'Sey." She called out to him.

"Yes, demon." He responded with a sour tone to his voice.

"Have I claimed it now?"

"Yes." He nodded. "It is now your hammock."

"Yay." Alva cheered and did a little bit of a victory dance. "I have my own hammock. Did you know Jake thinks you're going to hurt me?" She asked with a thoughtful look on her face before scratching her chin.

"I do not hurt animals." Tsu'tey shot back.

"So I'm not a demon?" She raised an eyebrow with a triumphal smile on her face.

"You are." He responded.

"You just called me an animal." Alva pointed out, amused.

"You are a demon, not animal." Tsu'tey corrected himself with frustration seeping into his voice.

Alva chuckled, pressing him even more. "So you will hurt me?"

He hissed at her, thoroughly done for the day with her antics. "I will if the demon do not stop this."

"Stop what?" The dreamwalker was tearing up from laughter, her head clear.

"Talking!" He growled and sat up in his hammock, eyes lit up with angry flames and body shaking. "Do not try me, tawtute, you will not win."

Alva looked at him apologetically, realising that she had pushed him a bit too far. "Isn't this great? Student and teacher hammock neighbors?" When he scoffed at her words she grinned at him. "It's the will of Eywa, y'know, she's always looking out for us and doing what's best for us."

"You speak of Eywa as if you know her, but she is not friend. She is goddess." Tsu'tey was a little less angry at her but his voice was still irritated and annoyed. "You say you can feel her but not speak to her. You are a weird dreamwalker." His voice held a bit of frustration to it.

"We talked about this before. I feel her and then imagine what she's telling me but all Na'vi know that Eywa is kind and forgiving. She does what is best for all of us, including the dreamwalkers who haven't abandoned and hurt her." Alva wisely spoke, her words holding an almost singing undertone to them. "Don't worry Tsu'tey, it will all work out in the end."

"You speak like Tsahìk but at the same time not. Only spiritual leaders can interpret the will of the goddess." He muttered. "You confuse me, demon. You cannot talk like us, but you can see like us and move like us. Perhaps you are more Na'vi than human, in soul."

"Are you going soft on me, Tsu'tey?" Alva joked and then laughed.

"No. You are still a pathetic dreamwalker, just maybe a bit better than the rest of them." Tsu'tey held a hint of a smirk to his face and no frown or scowl clouding his handsome face. "Tomorrow training will not be as kind to you."

"Aww, you think I'm better than the others." Alva pretended to swoon but her chest warmed at the thought that Tsu'tey had some kind of respect for her, and that he was warming up, if only a tiny bit, to her. 


	19. Chapter 19

Alva's legs pumped steadily under her as she rushed across the giant branches. Her plump lips were curled up in a grin as she grinned back at Tsu'tey before pushing herself to go faster, making wind push through her mostly loose hair.

"You will never catch me!" She giggled and took a sharp turn to the right, grabbing onto a branch in one fluid motion, using the momentum of the turn to swing herself to the branch. Alva's anklet jingled with each powerful step, adding a beat to the music flowing all around her and the low baritone voice of Tsu'tey.

"I will always catch you, Alva." Tsu'tey swore and Alva saw that he too jumped onto the same branch as she was running on, though he took on long, strong leap instead of swinging like a monkey. He made almost no sounds as he moved but Alva could feel his presence, knowing that he was never too far behind her.

She laughed and dropped down to the branch running below the one she was previously on and nodded to the family of insects she could see lazing in the sunshine. Alva couldn't remember how exactly they started the game of chase again, if anything she thought they never stopped it. It was always a chase, a game of tag. Now she was being hunted and he the hunter.

"No way!" Alva shot back and ducked under a low hanging smaller branch full with green leaves and crawling ant-like creatures that stared at her as she rushed below them. A few of them dropped on her shoulders but Alva didn't mind carrying a few passengers to victory if it meant seeing the look on Tsu'tey's face when he lost again.

Just before she grabbed onto a small part of the branch she was running on that extended to the left she felt a swish of air hit her arm. As Alva swung towards the ground with her feet curled around the branch she saw Tsu'tey staring at her, panting softly and with brow bones raised. The dreamwalker saluted him before dropped to the ground smoothly and rushing away from him, her sweet giggles lingering behind her.

Alva could see flashes of black and a set of razor sharp teeth following her, stalking her from the shadows. She smiled and waved at her animal friend before scaling another tree and rushing down the short branches it provided her. By now Tsu'tey should be behind her but she couldn't feel him, or hear him. Strange, she thought, but kept on running, she didn't want him to ambush her and turn their game around. Alva had never been good at hunting, but she was good at running.

"I told you I would always catch you." A husky voice told her, his words strongly accented but holding more charm to them than Alva had ever heard one voice contain before, unconsciously too. A warm hand catched her wrist and she chuckled before spinning around to meet her former hunter and now captor.

Alva shook her head and placed a hand on top of his. "I can't be catched, I can only be held." Her eyes sparkled before she broke free of his hold on her wrist. "And you will always have to fight to keep me, remember that 'Sey. Fight for me." Alva winked before bounding away from him and up a different tree, leaving him to once again stare after her before he followed her with a determined look on his face.

Their game of chase and tag was on again, and Alva had refused to be the hunter once more. Her curly locks flowed around her like a waterfall of inky black with a few strands braided like her old auntie used to do back home, and with some flowers messily pushed into some of them that brought a splash of color to her mane. Her tail hit the body of a tree to leave a mark for Tsu'tey to track and she smirked back at it.

"Catch me, 'Sey." Alva chuckled as her tail flicked against yet another trunk, being careful not to hurt the tree but to leave a mark for her hunter to catch onto. She gasped and her eyes widened as she saw the most beautiful tree she had ever seen, except for the hometree. It was large, with a wide, powerful crown filled with flourishing green plants that she would bet her body on would light up in a illuminating neon green that she would be able to see from the hometree, and the body of it a mixture of baby blue and neon blue.

"You know what, my strong warrior? I might let you win this round." Her voice turned dreamy and she practically floated towards the tree she would let him catch her on. She would sacrifice this for the tree.

Already she could feel his presence coming closer but her focus was on the tree she was getting closer too. It looked to be taller than the kelutral and at least twice as thick as the hollowed tree they lived in. It looked gorgeous, to Alva, inviting her in with the huge branches that snaked around its massive body and the flora growing on it, the life it supported, it all appealed to her. Maybe one day she would spend a night or two there, maybe she would even let Tsu'tey or Tru'iel come. Maybe.

Her arms grabbed onto a small branch and pulled her up, only making her let out a small groan at her own weight before she could comfortably stand on the lowest of the branches. Alva placed her palm on the trunk before resting her forehead on the bark, muttering a greeting and throwing it a grin coupled with twinkling, dreamy eyes. She felt the tree warm up and the groans it let out as the wind passed through its branches was its greetings back to her. She exhaled softly, feeling the tree shifting and the energy inside of it flowing, the energy of Eywa, of Pandora and of life.

She giggled before forcing herself away from the bark of the tree and to keep on climbing up until she would reach the top, there Alva would wait for her teacher and best-friend. There she would allow him to catch her so that they could share the view and hopeful there she could break more of his icy exterior and learn more about Tsu'tey and not about his warrior facade. Alva grabbed branch after branch as she skillfully and expertly climbed up the great tree, even feeling the tree helping her sometimes and the wind whispering its soft-spoken songs from Eywa to her. She hummed an old song her sister sang to her right before her sister left their family for a better life somewhere else. The melody of it was sad but hopeful, a song about new beginnings and embracing yourself and your dreams. This was Alva's better life somewhere else, and she prayed that her sister had found hers.

Alva hit the climax of the song, a high-pitched note that would ring until it hit a drop and would fall back to an almost breathy chorus followed by a series of low cries. She plopped down on the branch, swinging her toned, muscular legs back and forth as she stared mesmerized at the view she had found. She could see so many trees, and she could see packs of ikran flying above and below her, she could see prolemuris swinging in the branches and she could see Pandora. The trees that sparkled, the water rushing to give the inhabitants of the massive moon life, the winds singing to her people and Eywa watching over her children with a soft smile and open arms. This was her home. She lived and breathed Pandora.

The sun gave her a soft glow and a beaming smile was on her face as Tsu'tey finally climbed up to the branch she was sitting on, his chest gently heaving and pants flowing out of him. He had a neutral face but his eyes betrayed him with the gleam of playfulness that danced in them.

"I have caught you again." He told her and grabbed her wrist once again, being mindful not to press down too hard on her many bracelets. He turned her wrist around to check the accessories out before letting her wrist fall back on her lap.

Alva giggled and turned her glowing face towards him. "So it would seem. Isn't it beautiful?"

He turned towards where she was looking and a soft smile grazed his lips. "It is Pandora. My home is always beautiful."

"Of course it is, silly." Alva chuckled before sighing. "But some people just can't wait to destroy beautiful things."

He shook his head and hissed angrily. "Humans come and destroy my home, send sky people in false bodies and kill my people. Eywa is angry, can't you feel it? One day I will make them leave, one day Pandora will be right again, free from the demons."

"I always feel Eywa around me. I can feel her now, in the soft caressing winds." Alva ghosted a finger down her arm. "In the sun glowing down on me." She stroked a hand down her cheek where a ray of sunshine danced on her blue face. "In the energy around me." Alva patted the branch they were sat upon before turning to him once more, eyes unforgiving and a sad smile playing at her lips. "Humans destroy what they touch, Eywa knows it, I know it, the Na'vi know it and the humans know it. Don't worry, Tsu'tey, soon life will be good again. No more demons running around and no more sky people poisoning your lands."

"Will you go with them or will you stay?"

"Stay." Alva breathed out and nodded her head. "I don't belong with them. Pandora is my home and Eywa is my goddess. I could never go back with them." Her voice held a slight tone of sorrow to it. "I'll be sad to see Parker go but it's for the best, this is not his better life somewhere."

Tsu'tey nodded, his face unreadable and hands clenching the wood. "When you become one of the people-"

"When?" She grinned at him. He looked at her confused and a bit irritated that she interrupted him. "You said when, not if, meaning you think I will become one of the people. I'm glad you believe in me, even if I'm a demon in a false body." She winked at him and stood up, about to get to one branch higher and see it the view was different from there.

"Do not walk away from me, bug." He called after her and sprung to his feet. "Give up."

"Give up what?"

"You know what I mean." He frowned at her and she grinned at him.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." She threw back at him and curled her tail around the new branch she had climbed up on in case she was going to slip and fall. "Either way I'm not giving up."

He snorted and easily pulled himself up to the branch she was on. "Give up or I will-"

"Will what?" She asked him sceptically, a mocking grin on her lips and hand on her cocked hip. "You will what, hunter?"

"I will push you." He eventually answered, his eyes lighting up as he thought of something clever. "I will push you off this branch." His chest puffed as if he was proud of his comeback but Alva just chuckled and walked closer to him, her tail still curled around the branch.

"I bet you won't." She dared him, showing a sliver of her canines and she poked his nose.

Tsu'tey scowled and took a step forwards before placing his strong hands on her shoulders and shoving her over the edge. Alva squealed but swung right up again with a bubbling laugh. The Na'vi hissed and shoved her again, trying to prove that he would indeed push her down the branch.

"That's not nice." She pouted but her face was lit up and mouth open in loud, squealing laughter that made her slouch slightly.

Tsu'tey pushed her once again but like the other times she swung right up again. Alva sighed and uncurled her tail from the branch, showing her trust in him and lifted her arms into the air. "Do it, 'Sey." She winked at him and giggled when he didn't once look at where her tail was, about to give him a big scare.

He smirked at her before pushing her once again, making her this time fall begin to fall off the branch, her toes tingling and hair rising as she was preparing herself to free-fall down a massive tree and possibly rush to her death, again. Alva stared up at him as she tipped over the edge and stretched out a hand to him, showing him that he could save her, placing her whole trust in him to pull her up and save her. This time it was his turn to show his loyalty, to show his willingness for this.

"Fight for me." She whispered and closed her eyes, feeling her feet slip from the edge and wind flying through her hair. She could feel Eywa embracing her and the cry that Kida let out but she smiled through it all. Alva knew he would save her.

A strong, powerful hand caught hers and tugged her back on the branch and she giggled before opening her eyes again, seeing Tsu'tey's stunned and shocked look.

"Didn't expect it to work?" Alva giggled and placed her hand on his heart, feeling the way it rushed, like it was almost about to jump out of his chest. "You said you were always going to catch me, and you did. My strong warrior, always looking out for me." She breathed out and rested her forehead next to her hand before turning on her feet and walking away from him, throwing a dreamy wink at him and a tug of her lips. "I see you, Tsu'tey."


	20. Chapter 20

"So I heard you got the tracker out." Quaritch told Alva who had once again been forced to come back to the base for a check-up, only this one wasn't even in the medical area of the avatar parts of the base, thus one was in the hangar they used for the big planes and machines that couldn't fit in the smaller one. She had been forced to wear a Na'vi sized mask that pressed against her face uncomfortably.

Alva nodded and grinned. "Sure did, got it out on my own and everything."

He rolled his neck sideways, making it let out a series of loud cracks that made Alva want to wince and shake her wrists. Never had Quaritch made her feel this way, before he used to feel like the friendly neighborhood dog that occasionally barked at you but now he felt like the neighborhood dog that everyone told you to stay away from and that had escaped several times and had bit the children, only this time he was after her.

Alva stared at him, eyes threatening to turn vacant and thoughts jumbling together as they raced around in her crowded head.

"That's not good, Alva. We put the tracker there to keep you safe." He paced in front of her. "Now I'm afraid we'll have to take more...drastic measures if you're not willing to cooperate peacefully with our...prefered methods." Quaritch stared up at her, rubbing his chin and sending her a regretful glance.

"I will not be caged by anybody. Eywa will protect me." She mumbled and placed a hand above her heart, feeling the way her skin was turning clammy and heart beating faster.

"Eywa won't do shit and you know it. She didn't save you when we put a tracker in you." He pointed out and spun around on his feet, walking away to his desk.

Alva shook her wrist so she could hear the calming clinging and clicking of her bracelets and rings. Her eyes kept dancing around the room and she could feel herself space off, her head drifting into the clouds and heart slowing down. "Eywa works in ways you could never imagine." She sighed like one of those nicotine addicts that just took a big dose of it after being left without it for far too long.

"You know I heard about a tradition the Sami people up in Scandinavia used to do to their reindeers." He replied, spinning a knife on the edge of a small desk that had been pushed up to a big wall and being dwarfed by the big plane that stood there. "They round them all up after the small ones reach a...certain age and then they mark them, cut their ears in their specific mark. Isn't it beautiful, a cut and then they would forever belong to you."

She shivered at the thought of harming an animal but even she understood the metaphor and where he was going with it, but she knew she couldn't leave. All she could do was take it with a smile and hope that Eywa would somehow save her from it even though she knew she had to make it out on her own. Quaritch was no match for Alva but now wasn't his time, he still had a role to play in the big battle for her home, for Pandora and for their way of life.

"Sounds horrible." She commented and stroked a ring clad finger down her thigh.

"Oh no, they barely feel it." Quaritch chuckled and sheathed the knife in his thigh holder, crossing his arms as he smirked up at the Avatar driver before him. "They let them roam free in the north but they always came to collect when the time was due, and they made sure the reindeers were in their territories. An animal thinking they were free but still being watched over and controlled."

A fire lit inside of her, she would never be caged, she would never be kept by anything or anyone. Her freedom went above all of it. Those who tried to cage her would burn, burn in the fires of Eywa and of her undying anger. Alva would never let herself be caged again now that she knew freedom, now that she knew what it was like to live she could never go back.

"Why did you do it?" He asked her, eyes curious but shimmering with twisted satisfaction.

"Because I want to be free." She breathed out and slumped against the wall she was sitting against. Her head hit the wall but she didn't mind the sharp pang of pain it shot through her skill, if anything it helped ground her more to the moment and allow her to be more focused on the man watching her with ill intent. Alva's eyes shot to his leg where the sharp knife he previously dangled was resting and just waiting to be drawn again.

He hummed and rested his scarred hand over the holster before leaning his hip on the desk, turning his sharp eyes to her. "Freedom." His fingers ghosted the strap keeping the knife locked. "I like you Alva, which is why we let you run off with that million dollar body with only a tracker. The natives seems to like you too." He popped the button on the strap, still keeping his eyes on her even as hers widened and unconsciously reached for her ears.

"And I like them." She defiantly raised her chin and stared him down. "They are my people just as I am theirs." Alva stroked a finger down one of her stripes before glancing up at him again. He was smirking at her, eyes lit with sadistic pleasure.

"Then you understand why we can't let you run free, don't you? Especially with that...mental condition you have." He took ahold of the handle of the knife and drew it slowly, watching Alva's eyes follow the motion as more and more shining silver was revealed.

"One day a reckoning will come for you, Quaritch." Alva swore passionately and refused to let her eyes avert from the deadly weapon he was handling, already knowing where this was going and preparing for it. "One day Eywa will strike those that harm her children down and I will stand there amongst the people watching you slowly die." She giggled and let her fingers ghost her right ear, feeling the nerves twitch as she pressed down on them.

Quaritch growled, "is that a threat?"

"Not at all." She leaned forward, tilting her head and smiling, closing her eyes with an airy sigh. "It's a promise." She whispered and opened her eyes again, squinting them and showing her sharp canines.

"Very well." He sighed and spun the knife around in his hand once before gripping it hard enough to turn his knuckles white from the pressure. "There is only one thing left to do before you can go back to your savages." Quaritch's eyes followed her every move as he stalked towards her, swaggering and grinning. "One last order of business."

"One last order of business." She agreed and tilted her head to the side, angling it so her right ear was more easily accessible. "Will it hurt?" Alva asked him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Yes." Quaritch responded and stopped just a few steps away from her sitting form. "For a few seconds and then you'll be good as new."

She hummed and traced a small circle of luminescent dots. "That's good. Eywa won't forget this, Quaritch. I hope you remember that for when your reckoning comes." Alva grinned at him, showing too much teeth for it to be a genuine one. "What are you going to do to me?" Alva asked though she already knew the answer, if anything she wanted confirmation of his soon-to-be unforgivable deed.

"I'm going to mark you like the sami did to their reindeers." The words felt cold and harsh against her but she embraced them knowing that they would only bring fear if she didn't.

Cold steel touched her ear but she didn't flinch. She hummed the song of her sister, of her journey and her leaving. Her bracelets clicked with the beat as she felt Quaritch trace her upper ear with the knife, observing her with a face set in cold stone.

"May Eywa strike you down." She calmly responded and twisted one of her rings around her finger, thinking up a memory of her mother dancing around in the plains that would later be painted red with her blood.

"She'll have to get in line." He responded and she saw a glimpse of regret flash through his eyes that she embraced before she felt the first sharp cut of the knife and warmth flowing down the side of her face.

Alva felt a sharp pain travel through her body, lighting them on fire as he carved through the nerves that went there but she kept humming, channeling her ancestors for strength against the pain. She hit a high note that wavered as he dropped a piece of her ear on the ground as if it was trash. Alva watched it fall, the piece of skin coated in her blood and watching it spread it over the floor as it rolled around on it.

She whimpered as another wave of pain set in but she didn't stop humming. He continued to carve into her ear and all she saw was blood, it dropped onto her shaking fingers and down to the floor, it painted her right side of her face red and her bare shoulders were an artwork of scarlet and contrasting blue.

An image of Tsu'tey popped into her mind, he was grinning at her, shaking his head like he always did. They were at her tree, watching the sun go down, hearing the calls of ikran echoing all around them as they basked in the orange and pink lightning. They had their tails entwined and Kida lounged under the tree peacefully. Alva grinned and placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling the warm, soft skin there before letting it fall down.

"You're not real." She told him, watching him frown and reach for her hand again. "But that's okay, one day this will be us." Alva gestured to them and the forest all around them, her face was sparkling with happiness but she could still feel the pangs of pain from the real world, threatening to pull her back to reality any second. "I will see you soon, 'Sey, we'll be matching."

She sighed and forced herself away from the blissful image her mind had thought up, watching Tsu'tey and the tree melt away and the steely grey of Hell's Gate take its place. Smaller parts of her ear laid on the floor but most of the blood on her hands had dried, except for the blood dripping from crescent marks she had made in her palm.

Alva looked up at Quaritch, through the blood laying thickly on her eyelashes and through the hate and anger that wanted to break free but never would. His face was set in stone, even his eyes, and his motions were short, careful and precise, never cutting where he didn't have to. She couldn't see her ear but she knew it was different, knew it was now marked by Quaritch permanently.

He stepped away from her after one more, burning cut and a small piece of skin flapping from her ear. The blade of the knife was dripping steadily with her blood and to the blood splattered floor. His hands were steady, not a hint of tremor or shakiness to them even after marking her like an animal.

"Wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked her and let the knife fall to the desk, making it let out a metallic clunk when it hit the surface.

Alva didn't respond. She reached up to touch her mutilated ear, feeling the areas where she used to have skin that was now cut away or torn. Blood pooled on her fingers but she didn't care. Her motions got quicker, more rapid as she tried to understand what he had done to her. Alva's eyes flashed to the floor where parts of her ear was carelessly thrown, pieces that used to be attached to her but was now cold and lifeless.

"Do you have a mirror?" She asked him slowly, a tired grin barely able to tug her lips.

She heard him looking through some of the drawers before she saw a small mirror being stretched her way. Alva thanked him and softly grabbed it, seeing how her blood tainted the white handle of it. She raised it and then smiled when she saw her ear.

Alva laughed and tilted her head, knowing that if she didn't laugh she would cry. She felt nauseous as she regarded her new ear. He had taken a big portion of the centre of her upper ear, a circular form and then dug from that upwards and made a straight line. The cuts oozed blood that dripped down on her shaking hands but it didn't bother her. Alva forced herself to hum softly, shaking her ankle to give her a soothing, slow beat. He had made a cross-like sign on the bottom of the circle he had made, crooked and uneven but it was clear what it was supposed to resemble. He had made a few random cuts along the side of it that went just a bit inside of it.

"Is this your mark?" She asked him with tears in her eyes as she let the mirror fall to the ground, hearing the glass shatter and fall around her ear and blood. "Is this the price of freedom?"

"Yes." He answered her and begun to walk away. "Now we will always know it's you."

She gulped and placed a bloody hand over her even bloodier ear. "If this is the price for freedom then I accept it." Alva shot back even though Quaritch had walked out of the big hangar. The dreamwalker chuckled and fell back to the wall, feeling the aftershocks of the cut coarse through her body. "I swear to you Quaritch that when the reckoning comes I will be the last face you ever see, and that Eywa will reject your spirit from ever entering her paradise." Blood had formed a river down her chin and she licked it after making her promise, swearing it by blood.


	21. Chapter 21

"This is not a surprise." Ngeha said without turning around from where she sat at her desk in the hometree. "It was only days ago that Tsu'tey came with you here."

Alva held a hand over her aching ear. It had stopped bleeding a while back as she walked back to her home but as a reflex she kept it covered all the time. She chuckled and plopped down on the big table in the middle of the room.

"This time it's not my fault." Alva winked at the old Na'vi woman and brushed a hand through her tangled hair, aching for it to get brushed out and styled again. She also had to clean all of her bracelets and rings for they were covered in her blood and the metallic pieces of them would get spots and rust if she didn't fix it soon, but first she had to fix her ear.

"Skypeople do this?" Ngeha asked her after turning around to face her. "Drop hand so I can see ear."

Alva scratched her hand before slowly letting it fall into her lap, revealing the bloody mess that now was her ear, something that would never go away and would be a constant reminder of what he did to her. "How'd you know it was my ear?" She smiled.

Ngeha scoffed and rose from her chair-like seat. "It was clear. You have blood on neck and hand on ear." Her words were heavily accented, showing that she didn't spend much time learning the english language. Ngeha gave her a sceptical look and grabbed her ear, making Alva wince and shy away from her hold.

"Gentle!" She reminded the woman with her teeth clenched together as her sore ear was squished. "It's still really painful." Alva felt the wounds reopening and blood oozing out of the fresh cuts.

Ngeha picked up a wooden bowl and stirred a finger in the brown mixture that had a warm smell to it. The Na'vi woman hummed and brushed a finger along the broken ear, inspecting the damage there before swiping up some of the mixture on one finger and coating the biggest cut with it.

Alva sighed and slouched when she felt the mixture soothing her painful wounds. It felt cold and refreshing but had a slight sting to it that she suspected came from the cuts responding to the earthly mixture that suddenly drowned them. Her eyes watered as she thought back on them, how she had once again been betrayed by the people supposed to protect her and always have her back. Her back straightened when she thought about what she had gained from turning her back on them; Tsu'tey, Kida, Tru'iel, Jake, Grace, Ngeha and many more. If she hadn't rebelled against their cage then she would have never met her warrior, or her animal friend or aunt. Suddenly the pain wasn't as bad, her freedom had been paid for by blood and she would be damned if she would let a few cuts bring her down.

"That feels good." She whispered out as tension left her shoulders and her forehead smoothed out.

"It is what I used on your neck." Ngeha replied simply and smeared even more of the murky substance on her now numb ear. "Why humans do this?"

"The ear or the neck?" Alva asked before rolling her shoulders and grinning at the healer, her eyes dim.

"Both."

She shrugged before sighing and leaning forward. "The neck was for tracking me, I suppose, and to monitor all of the Na'vi places they didn't already know about. The ear-"

"The ear was for mark, no?" Ngeha connected the dots and nodded her head with a frown pulling her wrinkled face down. "Some Na'vi mark pa'li but not many, some mark ikran but not Omatikaya." She continued and set the bowl on the bed next to Alva's knees before turning around and walking back to her cluttered desk.

"Does it look ugly?" Alva asked in a childlike manner, staring down at her feet with a small self-conscious pout.

"No." Ngeha laughed, "like warrior." She gave the dreamwalker a proud smile that made her look a lot younger. "Like survivor. Eywa has blessed you. Now you will have to see Tsu'tey. I will pray that you calm his rage." The older woman rolled the last 'r' on 'rage' and gave Alva a wink before ushering the wounded female out of her room with a 'bye' and a swish of her curtains.

Alva gave the now shut curtains a bewildered look before shrugging, turning around and whistling a merry tune as she walked down the stairs.

\---

She continued her whistling as she walked out of the kelutral and into the crowd of Na'vi outside of it. Her ear were stinging a bit while some other parts of it was a comfortable numb, but still serving as a reminder how one of her friends had taken a knife and carved into her because of her love for Pandora.

Her eyes scouted the crowds for Tsu'tey but so far she couldn't find her scowling warrior anywhere, or any of his friends that she had yet to talk to but had spied on several times. Alva shrugged and skipped away towards the forest where he spent most of his time away from the hometree. Alva slinked through the mess of Na'vi people preparing for the day's work and opportunities, waving to the ones she knew before she disappeared into the forest again. It came as a comfort to Alva to live in the forest without all the materialistic thinking that the humans back on earth had, and just surround herself with nature, people and Eywa all day long for the rest of her life and even after that when she had been embraced by Eywa again.

Alva stopped short in front of a tall tree before putting her hand on it and climbing up the thin tree, her motion sluggish and robotic but efficient all the same. Once she got to the top she touched her wet ear before jumping to a higher up branch on a thicker tree that could hold her weight even when running.

She saw a blue figure sitting on a branch a few trees away and she slowed down until she was barely making a sound even as the bark cracked under her feet. Unconsciously a happy smile grew on her weary face and her steps were light as she walked towards her teacher.

His back was ramrod straight as always and his legs hung over the edge of the branch. Tsu'tey was frowning, Alva realised with a regretful sigh, she wanted him to always be happy. Her head turned up to the branch above her and she nimbly reached towards it before pulling herself up just before Tsu'tey's head snapped towards her. Alva laid down flat on the branch, trying to make herself look as small as possible so he wouldn't see her unless he knew she was there.

Once he looked away from her she stood up again and snuck over the branch before crouching and swinging herself over to the branch just over his head, making sure to be as quiet as possible. She froze when her bracelet clicked but when he didn't move she assumed he didn't hear her, or at least was pretending to not have to amuse her, either way it was all the same to her. The branch she was on was a bit in front of him but still high enough that she wouldn't hit her head when she swung down, or low enough that he could see her if he didn't crane his head up to look directly at her.

Alva suppressed a giggle and went down on her knees with her back turned to Tsu'tey before curling her tail around the thin branch. She tightly pressed her feet on the underside of the branch so she wouldn't fall when she swung down before she tilted backwards with a giggle. Wind flew through her hair and made some of it get stuck in her mouth but she didn't mind. She laughed when she saw the startled look on Tsu'tey's face when she dropped down in front of his face with her arms flopping by her head and reaching towards him.

"Hello there." She giggled and patted him on the cheek before she swung backwards.

"Alva." He greeted stoically.

She swung back to him with her hands stretched out to him. "Catch me." Alva told him and wiggled her fingers before he grabbed her hands, making her stay in that position until she let go off the branch with her knees and swinging towards Tsu'tey's branch with her back first.

"Always." He muttered to her and pulled her up to sit next to him on the branch, face set in a heavy scowl.

Alva giggled and plopped down next to him, brushing her hands off on her thighs and swinging her legs back and forth over the edge. "So what are you doing out here? Are you upset?" She tilted her head and grinned at the warrior sitting besides her. "I wouldn't be very happy if someone hurt my warrior." She pulled a straight face before falling into giggles.

"I am not yours, demon." He hissed at her and turned his face away. His lips curled in disdain and he shook his head. "I am your teacher and after that I am nothing to you."

"That's not true. You will always be my strong warrior, Tsu'tey, and my best-friend in the whole wide world." She placed a hand on his shoulder, patting him before letting the hand fall down next to his, an invitation if he wanted to take it.

Tsu'tey frowned down at her before his eyes fell on her ear and his eyes lit up with bright-burning fires and lips curling up to show his sharp fangs. "Who did this to you?!" He snarled and reached out to touch the wounded ear, his fingers hesitant as he observed the mixture coating it. 

"Quaritch." She breathed out and closed her eyes. "We match now, 'Sey." Alva grinned and reached towards his ear, tracing the scar there, imagining what it could have been that caused it. His fingers traced each of the curves that Quaritch had carved into it and she could feel his fingers shaking more with each new one he discovered. Alva saw how his body tensed up and how his chest heaved up and down in anger.

"Why did he do it?" He asked her, his voice coming out rough and painted black with held-back anger.

Alva shrugged and caught his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers in a bold move that Tsu'tey was too angry to even realise, though his fingers unconsciously tightened around hers. "Punishment for the tracker, I think, or so they could find me in a crowd of Na'vi if they needed to."

He growled and the hand not in hers curled into a tight fist that made his knuckles turn a light blue and shake as he tried to reign in his anger. "Pxasík." He snarled and ground his teeth. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes." She whispered and traced small circles on the hand she was still holding, using it to ground her to the moment and not float away. "Very much, but it's all good now." Alva beamed up at him, smiling gently with a slight blush coating her cheeks as he intensely stared at her.

"I will kill him." He swore to her, the promise shining clear in his eyes. "I will make it painful and long. He will beg for mercy but I will not give it to him, I will-"

Alva giggled and shook her head, dropping his hand to place hers on his cheek, seeing how his eyes flickered down to it before glaring at her. "You don't need to fight my battles, 'Sey. When the day of revenge comes I will do it myself, with the help of Eywa." She looked around in the forest, listening to the bird-like sounds calling out to her. "My strong warrior always looking out for me, protecting me against those who hurt me." Alva stroked his cheek before letting it drop to his face, knowing she was almost at the border of how much she could push him before he pushed back.

"He hurt you, I hurt him." He replied as if it was obvious. "Why do humans hurt their own?"

"I'm not one of them." She reminded him, looking away from him and at the horizon. "Not anymore. Sacrifices had to be made and that was one of them."

"Na'vi do not hurt each other, not like skypeople do. We war but with honor and duty, not to our own." He told her with absolute conviction in his voice, making her grin and curl her tail around her leg. "Here you will not be hurt like with demons. Here you will be a strong hunter." Tsu'tey thumped his chest.

Alva giggled and nodded. "Here I will be strong." She agreed and leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling the way he was still shaking with anger. "You'll make sure of that, won't you, teacher?"

Tsu'tey briefly grinned at the name before his face set in stone once more. "I will teach you to be honorable hunter of the Omatikaya and one of the people, I will teach you how to be Na'vi. Then when you get mate he will teach you the rest." She heard a pang of regret or sadness in his voice but she shook it off as her imagination.

"What if I don't want a mate?" She asked him with a playful grin as she looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Then you will be strong hunter on your own." Tsu'tey responded with a nod. "You would have strong children, you are strong like a warrior." He gestured to her ear and neck before his fingers ghosted his own ear with a ghost wince.

"Ngeha said the same earlier when I went to see her. Are you sure you didn't talk to her before sulking off into the forest." Alva chuckled and cuddled closer to him. "Seems like you two share a lot of opinions, is all." She continued.

He looked at her weirdly. "No. I have not talked to Ngeha today."

"It was a joke." Alva explained, laughing at the look on his face. "You're so serious all the time, 'Sey." She continued before cuddling up to him as they watched the view of Pandora stretching out in front of them.


	22. Chapter 22

"Where'd you get your scar from?" She asked him as they walked back to the hometree.

His ears twitched before he spoke, "Skypeople bullets." Tsu'tey looked away from her with a sad twitch of his lips and a flash of pain showing in his eyes. "Many Na'vi died that day. That is part of reason why tawtute are not allowed in hometree."

Alva gave him a sad smile and wrapped her arm around his, leaning her head on his bicep and sighing. "I'm glad you got out. My strong warrior, who else would catch me whenever I fall if not you, who will protect me against my foes and who will teach me the way of the people?"

"There are others." He commented and pulled his arm out of her hold, shrugging her off before walking faster.

Alva skipped after him but didn't hug his arm again, knowing that she had pushed him enough that day. "There are no one else like you." She shot back, her eyes shimmering with the truth of her statement and a small giggle falling from her painted lips. "You are unique, 'Sey, and your ear is proof that you're a survivor. We are both survivors."

"Both were made by skypeople." He grunted and glared down at her. "Your people."

"They are not my people." She declared once again before sighing and smiling at him. "Not any longer. My home is Pandora, with you."

"I would question your loyalty if I had not seen your proof already." Tsu'tey briefly looked down on her, his face set in warm stone, before he looked away again, eyes flashing all over the place. "If you did not see I would have thought you were another demon."

"Unique is beautiful." Alva spoke up and blinked up at him slowly before nodding. "Flaws are beautiful. Imperfections are beautiful." She continued and smiled, stroking one of her rings with a reminiscent look in her eyes.

"Yes, you have many flaws." Tsu'tey nodded, taking longer strides as he tried to get away from her.

"Did you just call me beautiful?" She let a smirk grow on her painted lips before bubbling laughter tore its way through her throat. His head snapped towards her and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

"No!" He exclaimed and walked even faster, trying to get away even more from her now that she had once again turned their conversation around.

"Well. I think you're beautiful." She shamelessly told him with a happy smile that showed just a hint of white teeth. "My beautiful, strong warrior. " Alva chuckled at the scandalized look on his face as she declared her appreciation for his looks, and calling him hers again.

"I am not yours, dreamwalker." He spat at her before striding away from her once more, but Alva was beaming at him. She had made extreme progress with him that day, even if she overstepped a line that made him push back like an animal that had been cornered. Alva had pushed him a bit too far and he had pushed back, a small push.

She shrugged. "Whatever you say 'Sey."

\---

"Have you done your logging yet, Jake?" She asked the man sitting besides her as they ate dinner together in mostly silence. Said Jake was looking worse for wear, his beard was unkempt, his body skinny and frail and his eyes vacant, as if he wasn't truly there, much like hers often were.

Jake shoveled another spoonful of mash into his mouth and shook his head. "Nah, not yet."

"Grace will be upset if you don't." Alva sang out and grinned at her avatar driver partner. He was the only one that understood how it felt to feel more at home with a tribe of 'savages' than with your own people, how it felt that your Na'vi body was more of your body than the one you had been borned with, but still it was different. He didn't face the same struggles from the RDA as she did and he got away with things she didn't, but Alva wasn't angry-- no, she was happy that Jake got to live his best life even if it meant she had to deal with the consequences so he didn't have to.

"She'll be upset no matter what I do." He chuckled and dried his hands on his pants. "She lectures me about everything- and that's not even talking about what Norm's doing. I mean he acts like I kicked his puppy or something."

"He is jealous." Alva told Jake as if it was obvious and stood up from the table, her dirty dishes still on the table. "And I think it's your turn to do the dishes tonight, I have to do my daily logging."

He scoffed with his mouth full with food. "Why do I have to do the dishes?"

"Because I don't want to." She replied simply and walked away from the stunned man while giggling to herself.

She sat down at one of the desks that had a camera set up ready to go and she sighed before pulling a hand through her dry curls. Alva regretfully turned on the camera and her face popped up on the screen besides her. She cringed at her appearance, dark circles under her eyes and her skin had lost its luster.

"I don't know what day it is, or what time it is, all I know is that it's late." Alva started the logging with tired, droopy eyes that was longing, beggin her even, for some sleep before she had to be up at dawn with the rest of the clan.

"Jake told me that he feels like the days are blurring together, but I don't agree. I can remember each day-- not because they're long or boring but because I remember the progress I've made with both myself and the natives. Eywa sings of my victories but they are few. I'm getting closer with Tsu'tey with each passing day but he's still hesitant. Thanks for that, brother. " She giggled and winked at the camera. Alva sighed and shifted in the uncomfortable chair. "Just a few days ago I convinced him to take me as his student, it took me about two weeks, during that time I cracked pieces of his surface but with each layer I tore away a new one waited for me, like one of those christmas gifts that hold an unlimited amount of paper wrapped around the gift, and you just keep on ripping and ripping to get to the center of it."

"He calls me demon. That's what they call avatar drivers; demons in false bodies. But my body is as real as his. My soul belongs with Pandora and I think he's starting to see that. He let me touch him today, and yesterday he allowed me to rest a hand on his chest. A week or so ago he would push me away or hiss at me as soon as I got close to him." Alva giggled airily and her eyes turned dreamy as she thought back on all the days that had passed so far. " Training is going good, each day I'm learning new things about my home and about my body. I'm learning to trust my body that it knows what to do, and I have yet to really fall out of any trees so you don't have to frown like that Parker." Alva was trying her hardest to keep her words serious and keep herself from falling into speech-pattern she usually had when talking to anyone, how she was normally and didn't have to be formal or professional.

"He shows me a lot of the forest. Always going on about the flow of energy, the flow of Eywa around us. I can feel her breathing, I can hear hear in every sound of her children around her and I can always feel her warm arms around me, guiding me on the path she has chosen for me. No one except for the Na'vi understand that feeling, humans don't want to see." Her words almost turned angry but she stopped herself before she got too carried away. "He's my teacher, my best-friend, my reluctant protecter and my strong warrior. He told me he would kill Quaritch for that he's done and I believe him. Tsu'tey's eyes were like the burning fires of hell, he swore to me that he would kill him but I stopped him. I understand now what Ngeha was talking about when she told me about his rage, for that was exactly what it was--rage. And I'm not arrogant enough to even think that I did anything to lower that rage but I bought you some time at least. He doesn't like me, not enough anyways, but he's protective. I'm his student so that has to mean something." Alva chuckled and scratched the back of her neck.

The woman took a few gulps of her water before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "The language is hard but I've learnt some of the most important greetings and things like that, so I think that's good progress. I spend most of my days in the forest, with the animals. It's all so beautiful it's hard to concentrate on anything else. I love the trees and I love climbing in them, I could spend all day cooped up in a tall tree just watching life. I pity the person looking through my vlogs back at the base, y'know the people searching for clues about the Na'vi people that my brother can use, but there's nothing. For all you know everything I've said is a lie and Tsu'tey is a Na'vi I've never met before, I might have even lied about sneaking into the Omaticaya clan territory. You wouldn't know." Alva shrugged with a crooked smirk and a flip of her hair. "I didn't, though. I'm many things-- crazy, insane, childlike, bubbly--, but I'm no liar, cross my heart and hope to die." She made a cross over her heart and blew a raspberry to the camera.

"Jake would tell you about how Neytiri goes on about the flow of energy around us, about how his days are blurred and how he can run faster everyday. That's the kind of thing you want to hear? Or maybe it's the information he gives you about the structures of the hometree? You know it's all fun and games until you realise that I'm not just some little girl with her head stuck in the clouds, no, I'm much more than what I choose to show you. If you can't handle me at my worst you don't deserve to see me at my best." She sighed and dragged a hand down her face. "How long are these supposed to be anyways? I keep ranting about things, thinking I'm making sense but even I can see through my blabbering nonsense. Na'vi are all about feeling, not so much words as it is about actions and feelings. I could try to explain what I have with the clan in a thousand or more words but it would never come close to describing it, I couldn't explain what I have with Tsu'tey even with the perfect words for it. We're not friends, I know that, he's my friend, of course, but I'm not his friend. Or are we more than friends? Are we something else? I can't put a label on our relationship; he gets angry when he sees me but hates it when I get hurt, he gets furious if someone hurts me. He calls me names but I can tell he doesn't' mean them as much as he used to, is Tsu'tey growing fond of me? Absolutely."

Alva played with the glass in her hands, thinking over what she wanted to say and how to put her feelings into words. Like the Na'vi she wasn't very good with words and preferred to let her emotions tell her what to do, it's how she feels Eywa and her will, it's what guides her with Tsu'tey.

"But there's so much bad blood that sometimes I wonder if he can ever truly get over what humans have done to him. I think he's starting to see me as separate from humans, he said that I'm not like them or at least that he had hope that I could still be saved from my insanity. I've known him for a couple of weeks so I'd guess that he's at least beginning to get over that first hard shell, even more after I showed him how far I was prepared to go to show my loyalty." Her fingers brushed her neck but came up short when she realised the wound could only be felt on her Avatar body and not the human one. "Eywa is guiding me but sometimes I doubt that even she knows what she's doing putting us together. Some days he's prepared to kill me and some days he's like today or yesterday; almost playful and even letting me touch him. Though I know that my strong warrior would never hurt me, not any longer, I don't care what anyone says about it." She glared at the camera wholeheartedly.

"They don't know him like I do. My teacher, My best-friend, My strong warrior, My Tsu'tey." Alva said, her voice airy but her eyes fiery as she ended the video before deleting it. She didn't want them to have that information, she just needed to get some of it off her chest. Alva didn't even want to know what they would do if they found out about her and Tsu'tey.


	23. Chapter 23

"How much did you hear?" A bell-like voice asked Jake the next morning.

Jake shrugged and pushed himself into his wheelchair that stood pushed up to his bunk bed, being held in place by Alva so it wouldn't move away from him. "Nothing."

"Really?" Alva asked him sceptically and cocked a hip.

"I was out like a light once I hit the sac." Jake chuckled and lowered himself into his chair in a controlled and practiced movement, though Alva noticed his arms shook and his jaw clenched. "Why? Did you spill all your dirty little secrets?"

Alva giggled and slapped his shoulder hard. "No, silly, but I had to get some things off my chest." Her eyes took on a milky mist as she looked up at the roof, feeling a familiar presence near her. "It's not easy being as perfect as I am." She shrugged and grinned at him before moving out of his way as he wheeled himself over to the linking units. His pulls were eager, as if he couldn't wait to enter his other body and see Neytiri.

"You have a crush on her, don't you?" She asked him knowingly, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned on the door.

"Who?" He feigned ignorance but Alva saw right through it by the panicked look in his eye and the rapid motions he used to get in the link and away from her.

"Neytiri, of course." Alva replied in a simple tone, clicking her tongue as her eyes glittered. "You have an itty bitty crush on the Na'vi princess. Cute."

"No." Jake muttered and laid down in the soft material that adorned the inside of the linking units.

Alva sighed and shook her head. "Jake, Jake, Jake. I know a lie when I hear one. It's only natural when you two have been running around alone for the last weeks, learning about energies." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Too bad she's promised to another, he's quite handsome too." She giggled and winked at him before turning around. Alva walked away from the linking part of the temporary base, leaving a flustered and confused Jake behind her begun to protest but in the end said nothing to deny or agree with her statement.

Her senses tingled as she walked towards the container they had masks in. Na'vi were near, he was near. Alva smiled and combed through some of the more unruly curls before tying it back using a large hair band she had brought with her. She swiped away some of the baby hairs before putting on the mask and securing the safety on it that would help her breathe in the toxic pandorian air.

Alva glanced back at Jake, seeing that he had entered his avatar body before she stepped into the tunnel leading to the outside. She felt light and excited to see her teacher again, even if he had company that wouldn't like her, but that was okay. Alva didn't expect any of them to like her right away, just like she didn't expect Tsu'tey to. The mask provided a comfortable pressure on her face as she opened the door leading out from the safety of the base and out to the mountain they had claimed as their temporary home.

Harsh sunlight attacked her sensitive eyes, making her squint as she looked around the floating mountain for the group of Na'vi hunters she could sense. They were lurking somewhere around her, out of sight but not out of her mind.

Her bare feet slapped gently against the rocky ground as she took a few more steps away from the door. "Hi!" Alva called out and rocked forward on the tip of her feet. "Good morning!"

Silence was her answer. Silence that echoed all around her. Silence that was tense, tense like everyone holding their breaths. Bad silence. Not like the comfortable silence her and Tsu'tey often fell into when they were together. This one was uncomfortable and heavy, like a thick blanket of despair. Something bad was going to happen, Alva realised. She could feel it in her bones and in the way Eywa was sending signs to her. All of the ikrans around them had gone silence and not even the soft whines of the wind could be heard around them.

"I know you're out there." Alva told them and wrapped her arms around her stomach as if to protect herself against harm. "Can you come out?"

She heard him before she saw him; loud cocky steps against the rocky ground, anticipating, soft pants and the way his companions could barely hold in their giggles. Alva sighed when the Na'vi hunter stepped into her view. He was tall, much taller now compared to her human form that even amongst her own kind was considered short. The wind picked up again, flowing through his braided hair and lifting it to gently flow behind him. Tsu'tey's scowl was deep and his eyes cocky and taunting as he stared down at her unimpressed. His friends stood a bit behind him but didn't bother hiding their faces of disgust and cruel smirks. One of them had a totally shaved head with only his tswin braid in the back, the ends coated in red. The other friend had one side of his head shaved and the other side had hair flowing down in a tangled mess.

"Demon." Tsu'tey greeted her with a taunting tug of his lip to show one of his sharp canines. His friends stared her down like a pack of wild wolves, no, like hyenas for they looked at Tsu'tey before joining in with their own na'vi remarks and high-pitched giggles.

"Tsu'tey." Alva smiled and took a step forward. "What are you doing here?"

He sneered at her and looked at his friend with snappish tugs of his head. "This my home, not skypeople. Why you here?" The warrior demanded of her, his voice cold and hard. He deliberately spoke to her in an even more broken english than usually and showed great disgust for it.

Alva shrugged. "We decided to camp up here for a few months."

His friends hissed at her and Alva retaliated by sticking out her tongue at them before making a grimace of disgust after her tongue touched the inside of the mask.

" **I hope you...eaten...ikran**." Tsu'tey sneered at her, glancing once at the friend to his right before angling his head up so he could look down at her even more. " **I can smell...demon....here....I...throw-up...Olo'eyktan...kill...skypeople.** "

The friends both laughed and one of them, the shorter one, patted Tsu'tey on the shoulder but backed away once he saw the glare the warrior gave him.

"I don't want to be eaten by an ikran." Alva took a step forward and bit her lower lip with big eyes that sparkled with shimmering innocence that could only belong to Alva.

He wrinkled his forehead and swung his head around, making his braids almost slap his friend on the left in the face. Alva giggled unashamed, not caring at all about the looks the Na'vi were sending her.

" **She...speaking..english...it....disgust...How...you....stand her?** " One of the friends hissed to her before cackling, his eyes shining with twisted satisfaction as he stared at his friends.

Tsu'tey placed a hand on his shoulder, eyes staring into hers. Alva stared back, not fazed at all by the rude nature of his friends. She was used to people being rude to her, expected it even. People were always afraid of what they don't understand, and Tsu'tey's friends didn't understand her, not like he did.

" **I bear it. She is my student**." A brief light of pride lit in the corner of his eyes but it went away as soon as he looked back at his friends. " **The demon...never.....iknimaya....she...die...laugh....sky people...leave or die. Not strong enough...Eywa...never accept...spirit.** "

Alva stare at them, whistling as she flapped her arms around her. "You know I can understand you, right?" She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip, staring up at the tall Na'vi men with an unimpressed look. "And for your information I will pass my iknimaya, and I will be accepted by Eywa when I die. Is this some kind of an image thing, 'Sey, where you can't let your friends know you like the dreamwalker so you have to push me away?"

" **...demon doesn't know its place.** " The Na'vi that had most of its head shaved snarled at her and took a few long steps towards her, his eyes lit up in slow burning fires and hands twitching. "I will teach you!"

"I only have one teacher." Alva giggled and twisted one of her bracelets. "And that's 'Sey. So if anyone is going to show me where that is it's going to be him. Eywa's not complaining, do you not hear her protesting against your hatred?" The dreamwalker spread her arms out and spun around in a circle, grinning wildly. "But she will forgive you for it, as will I. No one's perfect."

Two hisses could be heard but Tsu'tey was silent, staring at her with a blank look on his face, unreadable, but Alva was sure that he was feeling a storm inside of him. She could feel his confliction but it wasn't her place to help him with that; he had to figure it out himself.

"I will kill you, tawtute." The short Na'vi snarled and took out the giant knife he had strapped to his thigh. He took a few steps forward, in front of her warrior but Alva didn't even blink at his threatening stance. She didn't blink at the aggressive swishing of his tail, his ears pressed against his head, the curled up lip or his outstretched hand that bore a silver knife.

Alva shrugged and hummed under her breath. "Many have tried and they all failed." She told him in a sing-song voice as she walked closer to him until she was standing right in front of his knife. The tip was poking at her but Alva stood her ground, challenging his threat. "A day may come when your knife kills me, when Eywa welcomes me into her eternal paradise but it is not this day." She whispered to him, her eyes milky and voice a mere breath.

" **The demon is crazy!** " The Na'vi pointing his knife at her exclaimed and looked back at his leader in a panicked fashion-- eyes wide and mouth gaping.

Tsu'tey snapped out of his trance and looked at them, his eyes disapproving and lips pulled into a thin frown. " **She is not crazy. Al'va is...different.** " He shot back at his friend and waved a hand around his head before bringing it back down to rest on his knife.

" **You like...demon, Tsu'tey?** " The other friend asked, shocked before laughing. " **She is weak. ....Her people...kill Na'vi. They...evil.** "

Tsu'tey scoffed and turned around to his friend. " **I...not like...demon.** " He hissed and pointed a finger at his friend's chest. " **She is demon in a false body, and my student....all. You....I hate sky people. They...disgusting...weak...stupid..blind.** "

"I'm still here."

" **We..throw her...cliff.** " The Na'vi still threatening to stab her proposed to his friends and Alva chuckled before shifting on her feet and touching the shining blade almost drawing blood.

"Personally I don't like being thrown off cliffs but I can make an exception if it means I get to ride an ikran." She cheekily smiled at them and waved at Tsu'tey's second friend who sent her a death glare. "Tsu'tey's ikran, that is. Y'all bring too much negative energy and I don't want to be tainted." Alva winked at Tsu'tey and in one swift manouver she stole the knife from the Na'vi's hand and grabbed it firmly in hers.

Instantly the Na'vi in front of her jumped back, crouched and hissed at her. Tsu'tey tensed up and pulled his own knife. Alva stared at him before looking down on the knife. "Are you scared of human me holding a gigantic knife?" The human shrugged and skipped over to the edge of the mountain, murmuring a rhyme under her breath that sounded a bit too similar to one of the Na'vi songs she had learnt from Tru'iel to be original.

Alva looked back at the hunters and with a firm tone and a pointed glance she told them, "don't push me or I'm going to be upset."

She spun the knife around before throwing it off the edge, grinning at the startled yelp the Na'vi she had stolen it from let out as he watched his knife be tossed from the mountain. Alva brushed off her hands and turned back around to face them before chuckling at the stunned looks on their faces.

"What?" She asked them and walked back to where she stood before. "You were being mean so I took your you away." Alva told the Na'vi man once she passed him and patted him on his stomach with a curled grin and a fast wink.

"Tsu'tey." He whined and glared down at her. " **Let me kill her. No one will know.** "

Tsu'tey stared at them, he was glancing at her with an irritated look before casting his friend a pity look. The warrior shook his head and squared his shoulders before clenching his jaw with a frustrated look, one that almost made him look constipated. He turned his head away from them but not before glaring at her.

"I'll know." She chuckled. "Eywa will know. Tsu'tey will know." Alva rambled, putting up a finger each time she said a name, keeping eye contact with the furious Na'vi in front of her, knowing that she was playing with fire again. These two didn't like her like Tsu'tey did, didn't know her like he did and were just inches away from lunging and murdering her.

"Tsu'tey will not care." The Na'vi sneered at her, creeping closer with a twisted smirk on his face that made it lit up in a sinister way. "Tsu'tey hates sky people and will thank for killing you." His voice was like that of a teenage boy just entering puberty and his words nearly impossible to understand through his thick accent. "We will be congratulated home for getting rid of one more demon."

Alva hummed and took a step back, feeling her heart speed up a bit, not sure if Tsu'tey would be able, if he even would, save her in time before this Na'vi killed her and brought her energy back to the mother. Maybe today was the day she would die, but she didn't feel like it. Alva didn't feel done with the world, or with the Na'vi, she wasn't ready to join Eywa just yet, no matter how tempting it would be to dance with her.

"Considering I'm a student at your clan I wouldn't recommend killing me." She defended herself and threw a look at Tsu'tey who was staring at her before rolling his eyes.

"We have many students. Olo'eyktan will thank, great honor." The friend standing next to Tsu'tey responded and licked his lips.

She looked at Tsu'tey again, seeing his impassive look when his friends were talking about killing her but even if she wanted to she couldn't bring herself to blame him, or to be mad at him for it. Alva smiled at him before turning back to the Na'vi hounding her and smiling.

"I think it's time for you to leave. I need to speak with Eywa." Alva told them before briskly walking back to the base, throwing a, "Bye, my strong warrior" over her shoulder with an accompanying wink and smile. Alva would be waiting for his apology but she wouldn't tempt her fate by challenging the very people she tried to live with.

The door shut behind her and she let out a breath of air before walking over to her linking unit. It was time to go back home.

**AN: For those of you that read ISYT, a new update will be up today or on Tuesday since that is my day off and I'll have plenty of time to write up the movie scene that'll be taking place:) Feel free to guess which one it is. Also, for anyone who's a wee bit upset about the way I took this chapter, like c'mon it's me, what did you honestly expect?**


	24. Chapter 24

"What's her name?" Alva asked Tsu'tey while stroking a hand down the long, muscular neck of the pa'li.

"Wer'sei." Tsu'tey responded and took a step back from the pa'li. He nodded to the animal before snapping his head back to watch Alva as she introduced herself to the big animal she was petting.

The dreamwalker smiled and nodded at her teacher before turning around to give her full attention to the animal she was cuddling. Her now clean bracelets let out a tinkling sound as she stroked the animal's neck and back, standing on the tip of her toes to reach said back.

She heard Tsu'tey sigh before she heard his deep, masculine voice call back her attention to him. "Are you not... what is word?"

"Angry?" Alva suggested with an arched eyebrow and an easy grin pulling on her already upturned lips. "Why am I not angry? I thought it was obvious why, 'Sey."

He stared at her, face clouded in a hard mask she couldn't see through. Tsu'tey shifted on his feet and squared his shoulders as if he was expecting a blow at any given time.

"Why would I be angry? I forgave you the moment you did it." She whispered to him, fingers dancing along her bracelets as her voice went up a pitch. "There's no need for you to worry about it, my strong warrior. I know why you did it and it doesn't matter anymore."

"I hurt you." He asked but it came out as a statement, a flicker of a grimace flew across his face.

"No." She giggled and skipped up to him. "I told you already, I've already forgiven you for the words you said. Eywa did too." Alva danced around him, fingers occasionally reaching out to lightly brush against him. "I know why you did it, to protect yourself, and that's fine. Your duty and loyalty to your family comes first. I respect that and unless you mean what you say it can never hurt me." Alva stopped in front of him and briefly touched his cheek, feeling the way he clenched his jaw and turned his jaw up.

The hunter stared at her, face set in disbelief. "You are strange, demon." Tsu'tey told her before urging her to mount the impatient animal.

Alva shrugged off his hands and gracefully jumped up on the pa'li's back and connected their tswins without him needing to tell her. Some things are instinctual, making tsaheylu was one of them. "All the best people are." She grinned at him, "normal is boring, don't you think?"

His tail whipped around once before it stilled and the might hunter of the famed blue flute clan stepped towards her, eyes staring at the horse-like creature. His lips were slightly turned down and his eyes clouded with a veil. "Do you know how to ride pa'li?"

She shrugged and winked at him, eyes brushing down the animal's muscly back. "I know how to ride, but not pa'li." Awa giggled and bit her lower lip with a teasing smirk and shining eyes. "Will you teach me, mighty warrior?"

Tsu'tey blanched back at the tone in her voice before his usual frown grew on his lips, a defensive one and a shielding one. His eyes hardened but she didn't mind, it still showed that she affected him, and kept him on his toes. "You think in head." His finger pointed to his head and he motioned to the pa'li's. "Think walk and she will walk."

Alva nodded and leaned down towards the animal's head and closed her eyes. 'Walk', she thought gently, 'slowly', she added after realising how much she left up to interpretation, and she had no desire to be thrown off the majestic animal.

Wer'sei snorted and took a few cautious steps forward. Alva jumped a bit and clutched whatever she could but after a few more steps she calmed down and her movements became smooth and in tune with the animal's. Alva's legs stopped tingling and the rhythmic bumping that came from walking didn't push her up as much anymore. Her old riding skills from when she took a few riding lessons on horseback back on earth resurfaced. Before long Wer'sei and Alva was trotting around the stoic male, who was in teacher mode.

"Not that hard." She proudly told him, her chest puffed out and mouth stretched up in a happy grin. "Just like a horse."

Wer'sei neighed her disagreement and came to a grinding halt, making Alva giggle and fly forward. Tsu'tey scoffed and reached forward to touch the animal on the snout and whispered something under his breath in a soothing tone that made Alva's heart beat faster.

"Don't insult them." He turned away from the animal and up at Alva with the barest hint of amusement in his face. "They are nothing like your 'horses'."

Alva snorted and pushed Tsu'tey's hand away from Wer'sei's neck before placing her own there. The dreamwalker hummed to the animal, a similar tune to when she rescued Kida, before soft vocals tumbled into the rhythm, a rhythm with the animal's heart. "She's a good girl." She sang to Tsu'tey in a soft but still high-pitched, throaty voice. "I can feel the energy rushing through her, her every breath and every beat of her heart." Alva closed her eyes as she hit a high note after finishing her words. "I can feel the presence of Eywa through her, and through everything around me."

"You can walk but can you run?" Tsu'tey crossed his arms and stared at her down his nose. His chin turned up as he turned part of his face away from her as he tilted it upwards.

Alva snorted and brushed her hair back before smirking at him. 'Run', she thought to Wer'sei and threw him a victorious smirk when the pair galloped around him in a tense circle, drawing closer and closer to him, though he didn't move a single muscle. "Do you doubt me, Tsu'tey te Rongloa Ateyitan?"

"You are proud, dreamwalker." He told her and shook his head. "Arrogance is bad."

"I'm perfectly humble, dear Na'vi." She teased him and wetted her lips with a slip of her tongue. Her eyes held a spark and her bracelets clinked loudly with each powerful leap the pa'li made. "If anything you're the one who's arrogant."

"I am not arrogant." The last word sounded awkward as he fumbled around for a while, his face twisting up in a dissatisfied frown. "I am a hunter, a warrior of the Omaticaya." His chest puffed out and his stance widened.

Alva laughed and threw her head back. "Ah yes, Tsu'tey, my strong warrior." Wer'sei snorted and glanced over at the Na'vi man following their every move eagerly, his big eyes attentive and curious.

"Why do you call me yours?" He asked her suddenly, voice tentative.

Alva came to a halt and stared at him. "Because you are, silly."

Tsu'tey said nothing, only staring at her with his ears moving around indicisely. Alva stared back at him, making sure to stare into his eyes so he wouldn't doubt her words. He straightened up and frowned deeply at her before walking over to the other pa'li in the small clearing, a bigger male that towered over both Wer'sei and Alva.

He made tsaheylu with the giant beast and mounted it in one smooth, practiced movement that could only come from the years of practise he had. The animal whined softly at first but then impatiently stomped its right front hoof in the soft ground it had previously grazed.

"We will ride." Tsu'tey told her with an air of finality around him as he and the pa'li turned around and trotted in the opposite direction of there Alva was pointed.

She scoffed and trotted after him, her movements sloppy but controlled enough for her first time. "I thought that was what I was doing already."

"No, now we ride." He shot back without looking at her, navigating through the forest with the help of the pa'li. The pair jumped over a high branch that had fallen and Alva gulped before commanding her mount to do the same.

Alva yelped as they soared over the branch but giggled when they came back to the ground. Adrenaline rushed through her and her toes tingled from the height. Never before had she jumped that far, unless you counted when she ran in the tops of trees.

Wer'sei was panting softly as Alva sped up their pace so they could catch up to her teacher and his pa'li. The dreamwalker had a smile on her face, as she did most of the time, but there was something special for her that was connected with riding, be it a gentle pa'li or a mighty palulukan. A pang of longing hit her when she thought of Kida, of the feeling it gave her to rush around in the forest atop the mightiest of beasts, in control of every movement and yet so free.

"Did you know that Jake doesn't wash his hands after going to the bathroom?" Alva asked him after a few quiet moments of riding. "And I don't mean that he misses it sometimes, he never does it!" She turned her head around and stared at him as if it was unbelievable.

"What is bathroom?" Tsu'tey asked her, his face a mix of disinterest and amusement.

"Toilet. Bathroom. WC. Restroom. Hole in the ground you do your business in?" She tried to give him synonyms but he remained confused. "He poops and pees without washing his hands." Alva bluntly told him after her more subtle wordings didn't get through to the stubborn warrior. "Isn't that disgusting."

He gave her a disgusted look and looked ahead again. Tsu'tey looked at his own hands for a second before he scowled and placed them on the neck of the pa'li.

"I know right!" Alva exclaimed with her hands thrown dramatically in the air. "Like can you believe it? I know that doesn't transfer to his Avatar but what if he doesn't wash his hands in Avatar form?!"

"That is no good." He grumpily declared and sped up. "Will talk to Neytiri."

"When's our next na'vi lesson? People keep trying to talk to me and it's awkward." Alva complained and pouted before she turned to him, practically jumping in her seat. "After we finish riding can we practice? Pretty please?"

"No." He told her.

"Why not?" She asked him innocently with a matching head tilt.

Tsu'tey scoffed. "I said no. Listen, student."

Alva made an 'aha' sound and nodded her head. "You're playing that card, teacher."

"Be silent." Tsu'tey told her, practically snarling as his eyes flashed with anger and fingers tightening.

The dreamwalker shut her mouth and crossed her arms moodily. The rest of the ride was spent in silence until they could hear voices coming from the next clearing. It was one feminine voice, na'vi accent, and one masculine, perfect english. Alva's eyes lit up; they were going to see Neytiri and Jake.

Another hunter joined them and together they sailed through the forest until they broke through the forest line and entered the clearing the other pair was practicing in. They came just in time to hear Neytiri laugh as Jake was thrown off the pa'li and into the mud.

Alva giggled and galloped in front of the hunters. "Hey Neytiri, and Jake." She told them, looking down at Jake as she said his name with a teasing grin on her face. " How's it going down there?"

"Shut up." He told her with a glare on his face as he wiped off some of the mud on his face, looking at it with disdain.

She looked back to see Tsu'tey and the hunter thunder their way over, water splashing from the pa'lis hooves and bows held loosely in their hands. Jake tried to stand up just as Tsu'tey stopped in front of him. Alva and Wer'sei walked over to them. She looked at her teacher before smirking at Jake.

"You should go away." He told Jake, looking down on him in every way.

Jake stared back. "Nah, you'd miss me." He retorted, not knowing what exactly he was doing teasing, talking back to Tsu'tey. He turned to Neytiri. "I knew you could speak english." Jake said pointedly and wiped off some mud from his arm.

" **This alien will learn nothing. A rock sees more.** " Tsu'tey told Neytiri, mocking Jake who was trying to scrape off some mud off his tongue with his muddy fingers. Neytiri looked to Alva before looking back at Tsu'tey.

" **I'm a leaf.** " Alva protested, defending herself before allowing a grin to grow on her lips. " **I see.** Jake, step up your game. You've been doing this longer than me but I'm already ahead of you. Wouldn't want to disappoint the girl, eh? Eywa is watching you."

Neytiri grinned as she looked back at her student and Alva's eyes widened as she realised the fondness that was in Neytiri's eyes. A dangerous thing given where Jake's allegiances was. The female dreamwalker turned her pa'li around and without saying goodbye to either of her friends she threw them one last grin before galloping into the forest in front of her. She smiled as she heard the thundering of hooves behind her, knowing that her warrior had followed her. 


	25. Chapter 25

"It's nice to walk around in the forest like this." Grace Augustine told Alva as they walked in a section of the forest Alva had never been to before.

It had the same kind of tall trees with branches that stretches for miles, the same kind of flow of energy that Alva could feel in the air around her. The ground was covered with flowing, short grass and roots that could easily trip you up if you weren't used to them. Some animals could be seen peeking their heads around at them before scurrying off, and some of them following them curiously. This part was less colorful than her normal spots, barely having any of the vivid colored plants and mushrooms. Alva suspected this was one of the only spots that Grace could go to that wasn't "claimed" by the Na'vi, or rather guarded as heavily.

Alva whistled and beamed up at her taller companion. "It is, isn't it? It's therapeutic to be surrounded by nature like this. This is the place of dreams and nightmares, but all I see is life wherever I go. Even in death there is life, a celebration and the sweet caress of afterlife with Eywa." Her fingers danced around in the air as if touching the connections all around them. "You love Pandora and her children, don't you, Grace?" She asked, her eyes misty and smile dreamy.

"Yes." Grace nodded, throwing a quick glance at Alva before pulling up a branch to go under as it hung in her way.

"Then why do you want to kill her?" The younger dreamwalker asked curiously as she ducked under the same branch that Grace had forced up just seconds before.

Grace stopped and stared at Alva with surprise painted on her face. The scientist had evidently not expected that response. "I try my best to preserve the life, it's those morons back at base that try to destroy it. Listen, I've been dealing with them for years." She placed a hand on her hip as she stared down at Alva like so many others did, but Alva just kept on smiling even though a pang of annoyance hit her at the ignorant response. "All I do is telling them about the connections between everything here. They won't listen, especially not to anyone who's not on their payroll."

"It's not enough, Grace." Alva softly told her and placed a hand on her arm. "Your silence is violence. Pick a side and stick to it, even if it hurts to do so. The time to take a stand is about to come and I'd hate for you to pick the wrong side."

The older woman bristled and her fingers twitched as if reaching for a cigarette. "I've always been on the side of life, don't you dare doubt me." Grace glared at Alva but her glare wavered in strength.

"I'm not doubting you, Grace. I'm doubting the fight in you. You were brought here to be the link between Na'vi and RDA, the relationship between them has only worsened. People on both sides are angry and a war is coming. I can feel it in my bones." Alva took her hand off Grace and placed it on a tree. "Even Eywa won't stand for this, you must understand that. The humans will lose, and if you're not clear on your allegiances you will also lose. Be vocal, be strong, keep on fighting."

"There won't be a war." Grace denied stubbornly.

Alva sighed but then smiled coyly. "You always doubt me. Why do you doubt me, Grace?"

"I'm sorry for doubting you but I don't think a war is coming any time soon." The scientist apologized without looking the other woman in the eye. "Selfridge is too much of a coward to go into open war with the Na'vi."

"But Quaritch isn't." Alva reminded the woman with sparkling eyes. "Humans always doubt me, question me and call me insane for being the way I am, but with the Na'vi I'm at home. Never once have they doubted me because of the reasons you do, never once have they called me insane for sensing things that you can't see." Her eyes closed before she grinned happily. "You say you see, scientist, but even you are blinded by the human nature." Her yellow eyes opened and stared into Grace's conflicted ones.

The older woman didn't know how to respond and kept silent.

"Never mind that now, you still have time. I have someone to show you." Alva giggled and pulled Grace along with her while humming a song loudly.

Grace protested loudly and tore herself free of the hold so she could follow behind on her own terms. Alva shrugged and grinned teasingly at the head scientist, eyes lit with excitement and promises. Alva couldn't wait to show Grace Kida, knowing exactly how the woman would react when placed right in front of the ferocious beast.

They ducked under low branches, jumped over roots and rushed over branches. Rivers of water stopped them in their paths but they pushed through, finding different ways over the water that would be too time consuming to otherwise cross.

Alva grinned and whistles a high note that could be heard for a large distance around them. Already she could hear the almost silent running of her palulukan friend. The younger dreamwalker pulled herself over branches, almost like she was flying for such was the effortless way she moved in the forest. Never did her pace slow down or stop, not even when she noticed that Grace had fallen behind as the older woman struggled to get over the higher branches and roots. The scientist didn't get much time in the forest anymore, and even when she didn't she didn't spend a lot of time running around in it as she did on her knees studying plants.

"Come on, Grace!" Alva yelled back with laughter in her voice. "You're slower than my grandma and she's dead."

Alva heard soft panting coming from the black beast that joined her before giggling when Grace let out a gasp and heard her stop right in her tracks. The dreamwalker stopped too and turned around to face the other dreamwalker with a smug smirk on her face and hooded eyes.

"Grace, meet Kida, my palulukan." Alva stroked a hand down Kida's leathery head. "Don't be scared." She added after seeing how terrified Grace was, practically shaking and eyes threatening to bulge out of her eyes. "She won't hurt you, unless I ask her to." Alva finished with a bite of her lip and a wink.

Grace took a hesitant step forward.

"Trust me, Grace." Alva whispered, her eyes earnest and palm turned up. "If in nothing else, then in this."

The scientist walked slowly towards the pair. Her steps were shaky and unsure. "I'm sorry for how I treated you, Alva, and for not trusting you." Grace gulped as she got close enough to the pair that the palulukan would be able to bite her in less than one lunge. "I should have known that your... condition doesn't make you a child."

"Are you apologizing to me because you're scared? Do you honestly believe that I would make Kida attack you?" The younger woman scoffed and forced down the anger fighting to get to the surface. "Apologize to me when you mean it, not when you think I'm going to kill you." She inhaled deeply and placed a hand on Kida's neck. "A thanator is not a slave. I cannot make her do anything she does not wish to, nor can I stop her from doing what she wants. There's nothing to forgive, Grace. What you've done is human, and you are very much human." Alva smiled, though her smile was condescending- as if Grace being human was something to be sad about.

"Why did you take me here?" Grace asked, pinching her nose and shifting on her feet.

"Because you're my friend." She simply responded with an impish smile. "And I wanted you to meet my other friend." Alva knew Grace was avoiding continuing their conversation but she didn't blame her; she wasn't up for the emotional toll it would take for her to converse with the stubborn old woman who had her opinions set in unbreakable stone. Alva almost admired the sheer blindness that Grace demonstrated until she remembered that she would much rather see the whole ugly truth than only the fake, pretty reality- no matter how scary and uncomfortable it may be.

Kida growled and lowered herself, stomach almost touching the ground and backside high in the air. Alva kept her eyes on Grace and a hand on Kida, a hand in each world. The time to chose would be soon but Alva had made hers a long time ago. There was no doubt where her loyalties laid, even a blind person could see it like a glaringly bright sun in otherwise darkness.

"I heard you were training with Tsu'tey." Grace said after a while of tense silence that was only filled by Kida's odd noises and growls of displeasure.

"Indeed." Alva smoothly replied and a bright smile grew at the mention of his name. "He's a great teacher."

Grace nodded with a sceptical look on her face. "He's treating you good then?"

Alva giggled and looked at Kida. "Of course he is. Why wouldn't he?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, daring Grace to say whatever it is she was thinking. "Are you implying that Tsu'tey would be mean to me? Like little children?" A few strings of light, pearly laughter came from the younger dreamwalker. "No, he teaches me the way of the Na'vi and how to live in balance with life on Pandora, and with Eywa. No cages, no lies."

The older woman furrowed her eyebrows. "Jake's stories about him is... different."

"Jake is different." Alva responded brightly and bounded up to where Grace stood. "None of you know Tsu'tey like I do. Everyone is so judgemental nowadays. What happened to not judging a book by its cover, or actually getting to know someone before you spread rumours about them. I'm sure Tsu'tey would love to hear what you're saying about him, about how you portray his honor, his loyalty, his bravery, his pride, his ego." With each 'his' she took a step closer to Grace, and a shake of her wrist. "He's much better than anyone on Hell's Gate." Alva's eyes were lit with defiance as she stared up at Grace.

Grace struggled to form a sentence at first but then words fell. "What about Selfridge? The RDA still owns your body, what happens when they decide you're too rogue to control and take it back? Will Tsu'tey defend you? We have a mission, and I know how easy it is to lose yourself in all of this- in Pandora and the Na'vi, but we can't forget that we are here only because of a contract. Already your contacts back at base are dropping like flies, and all you have left is us; and none of the higher ups particularly like us." The scientist rambled, tugging a hand through her braids. " There is consequences for each action we take. Are you willing to pay for yours?"

"Yes."

"You don't know what you're dealing with here, Alva. Don't you think that I would've broken off from the RDA a long time ago if it was as easy as just leaving?"

"No, because you're a coward." Alva blinked lazily at the other woman and trailed a finger down one of the stripes on her arm. "I know what I'm doing. I'm being free, I'm breaking free off the cage that humans have forced me into! Don't stand in the way of my freedom unless you're prepared to go down with the others!" Her voice raised and eyes widened with just a hint of anger in them.

"I have tasted freedom, I have tasted true friendship, I have tasted what it feels like to belong and I'm not giving that up! Not for you, not for my brother, not for anyone!" Alva ranted, her eyes wild with passion. "I will never allow myself to be caged again." Her tailed flowed behind her, ears flat against her head, head lowered along with her body and mouth open in a snarl. Alva looked like a true Na'vi.

"I'm not saying give it all up, you moron!" Grace snarled back. "I'm telling you to knock this shit off and come back down to earth. Somehow being this free is worsening your condition."

"My condition?" Alva's voice grew frosty and she knew she had to leave soon before she succumbed to her negative emotions flowing through her. "I don't have a condition. I'm just not blind like you are."

Alva turned away from Grace, ignoring as the scientist called after her before making tsaheylu with Kida. Together the bonded pair took off in the opposite direction and away from the subject of Alva's frustrations. The wind flowing around Alva cooled down her body and her mind, allowing herself to fly off into the clouds of her sanctuary. The soft feeling of Kida under her was soothing and kept her partly grounded, the bumps never letting her stray too far before bringing her back down again.

"Thanks, Kida." She whispered airily. Her body felt tired and her head murky as she tried to sort out her thoughts and cast out the bad emotions Grace had forced upon her. She wondered if this wouldn't have happened if Grace didn't feel threatened by Kida, who Grace had mostly ignored since meeting her- something so out of character for the normally curious scientist who would throw herself over fascinating roots in the ground. The conflict was wearing them all down but you had to keep on fighting.

A few minutes later Alva told Kida to slow down before disconnecting their tswins. She slid off the big animal and patted her once on the head before skipping away from her and into the forest. A walk would clear her mind, and if it didn't she'd have to try and comfort herself in the warm embrace of Eywa.

The forest was a bright green and full of life, something she would never get tired of. The wind flew through the trees and water flowed in small rivers and lakes around her. Distant ikran screeches could be heard and the stomping of hooves echoing in the forest. Alva smiled and felt all of the tension from her almost fight with Grace flow away from her, the weight on her shoulders disappearing and her chest lightening with positivity.

She was about to turn around and walk towards the river when she felt herself walk into a hard tree and tumble to the ground. Alva let out an 'oof' before pulling herself up a bit. She looked down on the tree and a grin grew on her face when she realised what she had walked into.

"Hello, teacher." Alva tilted her head. "Why'd you walk into me?"

"I-I didn't walk into you, bug. You walked into me." The frowning Tsu'tey muttered and pushed himself up too. The two now had just the barest amount of space between them.

She giggled and placed a hand on his chest. "I was minding my own business and then bam, there you were. Were you following me, 'Sey?" Alva asked him.

"No." He denied and leaned back a bit, feeling the skin where she touched him warm up. His eyes were wide and his body tense. "Why would I follow demon? Demon follow me." Tsu'tey declared and scowled.

"Nah." Alva laughed and rubbed the skin she touched. "I don't follow people, I go with them. At least I got a comfortable landing when you made me fall." She looked down on his body she was still practically laying on before looking up at him again with hooded eyes full of mirth.

"You are heavy." He grumbled and tried to push him off her but she remained.

The dreamwalker sighed and placed her other hand on his chest too. "That's rude, my strong warrior." She patted the obvious muscle pointedly. "I'm not heavy, I'm Al'va." She leaned down closer to his face, pushing his boundaries.

Tsu'tey stared at her, eyes widening even more as she leaned towards him and mouth parting in shock. "What are you doing?"

"Me?" Alva asked huskily. "I'm not doing anything, what are you doing?"

She stopped leaning in, their faces mere centimeters apart, eyes connected. Alva grinned and trailed a hand up to his shoulder, repositioning herself above him. The two stared at each other, Alva with happiness, as usual, and Tsu'tey with conflict.

She chuckled and placed a hand on his cheek, caressing the soft skin there, silently cheering that he allowed her to touch him. Alva felt the world around them melt away, all noises being tuned out and mind turning clear- not a single hint of the usual heaviness or dream-like quality. She felt free, and grounded, she felt powerful. Tsu'tey relaxed slowly under her, his eyes slowly growing softer and the conflict in them ebbing away. Her whole body tingled, she could feel the shivers under her fingers as she touched him. The feeling he gave her was better than any other she knew, better than when she felt the most prominent feeling of Eywa, better than anything. Her eyes softened significantly as she looked down on him. Alva was surprised he had let her do it but then she realised that she had underestimated him, again, and that she didn't see through him as much as she thought.

It wasn't long until Alva noticed that Tsu'tey had started leaning in towards her, eyes slowly closing. She tightened her hold on his shoulder and a warm feeling bubbled up inside her. Alva felt him place his hands on his legs as he continued leaning in. For a second she imagined letting him do it, letting him take the step over the line they had drawn, but then she thought again.

Alva brushed her fingers over his cheek before she sighed mournfully. The dreamwalker let go off his shoulder, letting the hand fall and drag over his torso as she slowly stood up, her legs like jelly. Immediately as she took a step away from him she wanted back in, already she missed the feeling of him. He stared at her, shocked but before he could retreat into himself she leaned down and gave him a big, strong hug.

"Until later, my strong warrior." Alva purred, paying special attention to the word 'mine'. She blew him a kiss before skipping away from him and into the thick forest, heart threatening to jump out of her chest as her cheeks threatened to tear from the gigantic smile on her face.


	26. Chapter 26

Alva's heart was still beating up a storm, even after a whole night of restless sleep that was filled with anxious dreams. What had almost happened had yet to really be registered with her. Had they almost kissed? Yes. They had. Did she let him? No. She knew neither of them were ready and that sometimes people get caught up in moments, like the one they had, and her testing his boundaries had almost led to him making a mistake. No, she would wait until they were ready and only then would she walk over the line they had drawn.

"Parker contacted me." Alva started and looked out the window. "He asked me why there hadn't been any logs being sent back to the base. I told him that I deleted them, he wasn't happy but accepted it. He knows me. My brother. My beautiful brother." She sighed and looked down on the ground. "My brother who looks out for me, who cares for me and who has always been there for me. Parker Selfridge, the man behind it all. He is so _human_ , even amongst the others at the base who have all sort of adapted to the Na'vi customs in one way or the other, he remained the same. They all change- except for him, and maybe Trudy. Quaritch became a bigger savage, he adapted to the harsh environment on Pandora, became the very monster he was trying to protect us from. It all comes down to money, not only are they destroying Pandora for it, but Earth and humans. I remember him when we were children, how he loved to watch the clouds. Now he spends all his days inside glaring at monitors and playing with his stone. 'Look at this, Alva', he'd tell me, 'It looks like a dog'."

Alva chuckled and wiped her face. "But they all fall eventually. The world turned him into something else- something driven by money to the point that his whole world revolves around getting Unobtanium. It's so very human, isn't it? Greed and pride. But he knows that it's wrong, I can see it in his eyes when the reports come back that either humans or Na'vi have died. There's always these glimpses in his eyes," She let her hand flow through the air before she swiped them over her eyes. "that tells me that my brother is still in there. That corporate greed hasn't consumed all of him yet. I mean the man hasn't even been in the forest. He's spent all those years locked up in the base, observing but never venturing."

"I only hope that he picks the right side in the end." Alva looked right into the camera as she said it, her voice turning just a small bit of frosty. Frustration built inside of her but she would never let them know that he affected her so.

The woman turned off the camera with one last grin before letting the log be saved and sent back to the base. ' _That'll serve him right for nagging me about them_ ', she thought to herself. A rant about her brother should deter her brother from wanting any more of them, unless he wanted to listen to her logging about him that badly.

"Was that for your brother?" Norm asked, amused as he stood leaning on one of the linking units. The man had cooled off a bit since he stormed out of the base all those nights ago. Norm had been gradually warming up to Jake again, even going as far as teaching him some things again.

Alva giggled and shut down the computer. "Of course it was, who else am I sending customized messages to? I'm not Jake." The joke went unnoticed by Norm, only her knew the full extent of what he had done to them and until he told them she would keep quiet about it.

"I just meant- we've heard all about his...concern for you." Norm sheepishly admitted and looked away from her. "It's weird seeing him like that. Normally he's all about his unobtanium and playing mini golf in his office but now he's...different. Sometimes."

The woman gave him a sceptical glance before chuckling and slamming her hands on the desk. "Do you spend a lot of time stalking my brother, Norm?" Alva glanced at him before drawling, "maybe I should inform him of your obsession. He's always been a bit shy."

"No, no, no, no." Norm protested and took a few steps forward. "Please don't-"

His words were cut off by the high, loud laughter of Alva who could barely breathe through the heavy laughter. "I'm just messing with you, Normie. I won't tell my brother that you're obsessed with him. He's happily married to his little clump of Unobtanium, for your information."

"Is Parker your real brother?" Norm hesitantly asked and then cringed when he realised what his words sounded like. "I mean-"

"You mean that I'm adopted? That I'm dark and he's light? That I can see but he's blind?" Alva didn't mind his words, knowing all too well the doubt people held about their family. "He's as much of my brother as I am his sister. Family is beyond blood, beyond DNA, family is something you choose. So yes, he's my brother, as real as the forest around us. In the end, what can tell us what is real and what is not?" Her eyes turned dim and dull, her smile mysterious but vacant, her voice airy and breathy. Alva's stared at him but through him, seeing something beyond him.

Norm shuffled on his feet awkwardly, his face pulled into a cringe and hands fluttering anxiously from his sides, to his waist and then back down. "Good talk but I um- I have to go look at some samples."

"And in the end we all fall like leaves towards the ground."

\---

" **See, Ylvänin, earring.** " Alva pointed to her ear as she held the half-finished earring in her hand. She then pointed to the small earring the Na'vi child had in her left ear; a small red circle with a green circle in the center, probably an heirloom. " **I make my own.** "

Alva's na'vi had been steadily improved the last few weeks, so much that she could mostly communicate entirely in na'vi, albeit with faulty grammar and limited vocabulary but it still counted. Her and a couple of the clan's children were cooling off under one of the bigger trees away from the warm sun.

Ylvänin, the oldest of the three Na'vi children was from one of the lower ranked families of the clan. Her father was a hunter, her mother a cook and her brother together with some of other Na'vi were responsible for the animals the clan kept. The young girl was the most outgoing of her small friend group but every once in a while the other girls would chip in with their own remarks or questions to the still undercover dreamwalker.

" **They're pretty.** " Ylvänin complemented and reached up to touch it. " **..you make your own bracelets too?** "

The dreamwalker shook her wrist in response, watching the colors dancing together. " **Of course. I make all... what is called?** " She asked the group, gesturing to the rest of her accessories.

" **That is a ring.** " One of the other girls, Fra'vä, a girl from a family of warriors, responded and pointed to Alva's many rings. " **And that is an anklet.** " She gestured to the band on Alva's ankle before smiling wide.

" **Yes,** " Alva nodded and twisted her mother's ring around her blue finger. " **A ring. I make my own rings, anklets, bracelets. I make all my own.** "

" **Nice!** " The smallest of the group, not in age but in size, said with awe filled eyes. " **My mom makes...too.** "

Alva blinked slowly, having not understood what the young girl was talking about. " **I don't understand what is jelley?** "

" **Jewellery**." The girl, Tri'ad, responded slowly and pointed to the various ones that Alva was wearing. " **Rings, earrings and bracelets are jewellery.** "

The woman let out an 'aha' sound and giggled lightly. "Silly me." She said and brought the earring back down to the ground where the rest of the works in progress laid waiting for her. There were four earrings in total, two of them were small, bright pink circles and the other two were made out of something purple that she had found back in the base that she thought looked pretty, they were in the shape of small hoops. The circles would be placed on the lower part of her ear and the hoops would both be placed near the top of her whole ear.

She felt a pang of hurt hit her at the thought that she'd never be able to wear any earrings on that ear except for the lowest and the only unaffected area of her wounded ear. Alva shook it off and smiled at the kids she was currently entertaining. They had yet to ask about her wounds, never looking too long and never being uncomfortable around it. Alva assumed it was because of the Na'vi being used to wounds like that.

" **Can you braid my hair, Al'va?** " Fra'vä asked before plopping down right in front of Al'va with her hair already let out and waiting to be braided.

Said Alva snapped out of her dangerous thoughts and smiled down at the young child in her lap. " **Of course.** " She replied, her na'vi still rough and accented but good enough to get the message across. " **What you want?** "

" **Oh, oh!** " Ylwänin squealed and rose from her place in the grassy meadow behind their home and plopped herself down besides her smaller friend. " **Get the ones like Neytiri has!** " The girl sighed longingly.

Fra'vä shook her head and placed her hands in her lap. " **I don't want those braids, I haven't earned them. Yet**." She ambitiously spoke and turned around to face the woman behind her. " **I want braids from your home**."

The dreamwalker look surprised at the young child. " **You want braids from home? From my home?** " Which home was that? Africa where she was born or the US where she had been adopted. Which home was home? What braids would she show the child? "Wow, that's-" Alva was so stunned she reverted back to english without even realising it.

"It's okay if you don't want to." The girl responded with an apologetic smile on her face.

" **Nono, I was...surprised. Not many want** African **braids.** " She responded and absentmindedly ran her fingers through the young Na'vi's hair to check what kinds of braids her hair type could handle and which to stay away from. Truth to be told Alva knew little to nothing about the ways of her people, or their hair, all she knew she had taught herself. Most of her history had been lost in the ages and some destroyed.

The girl nodded, relieved. " **What is** 'Africa'?"

" **Place on Earth. My home.** " Alva responded with a melancholic smile as she thought back on her happy childhood that had abruptly ended when her family all together perished. " **Braids used to see clan and status. Hair was very important.** " The dreamwalker nodded as ideas formed in her head.

Fra'vä nodded excitedly, smiling at her friends before looking back up at Alva. " **What will you do?** "

" **I will do a kind of traditional braid.** " Alva pictured it in her mind. The cornrows at the front and the back part of the hair held up in a ponytail with some of the braids acting as the elastic band. It was easy enough and wouldn't hurt the girl's head too much, or damage her hair. " **Tell me if hurts.** "

" **Yes, Al'va**." The girl dutifully replied.

Alva smiled and parted the girl's hair in two sections, one for the back and one for the front. The back she held back using one of her bracelets that easily held the hair away. Next she made more sections as she planned where the braids would be, most of the would be going down the sides of her head, though one, the top, would be braided backwards and that would also be the one that would be wrapped around the back section of the hair.

Instinctually her hands started braiding the first cornrow, making sure to make them as fast and painless as possible while also ensuring that they come out looking perfect. She was representing her whole heritage with that hairdo and she didn't want to mess it up.

" **Girls.** " She called out as she was almost finished with the first braid. " **Can you get beads for hair?** " Alva asked sweetly, grinning at the jealous children who ran off without another word. " **Thank you!** " She called out after them though they had long since moved out of her reach.

" **Hold this.** " Alva told Fra'vä and gave her the end of the first cornrow. The girl took it and Alva immediately started working on the next one, noting which one would be drawn back and used to tie up the rest of the hair and which ones would be hanging freely.

Just as Alva had finished three more of the braids the other girls came rushing back with their hands holding golden beads, some of them falling off and onto the green ground. The dreamwalker nodded her thanks and clasped the beads around the ends she had completed and noted that the braids didn't unravel. A surge of pride flowed through her as she looked as her work for she had never been good at braiding other's hair.

Time passed fast as Alva finished the rest of the braids, taking extra care when doing the middle one to make sure it was neat and straight. After finishing all of the cornrows and clasping golden beads on them she wiped some of the sweat off her forehead and gave the girls a tired smile, her arms were already aching and she wasn't finished yet. Alva had forgotten how much work it took and how tired her arms got after braiding hair. Still she fought on and after a few tries got the appropriate braids around the back hair and did a nice, high ponytail without using a single elastic band or bobby pin.

" **There** ," she smiled and let out a relieved sigh. " **All done.** " Alva giggled and watched as the young girl flew to her feet and rushed over to her friends while touching her hair. Fra'vä's face was a bit twisted up in pain but Alva hoped it would go away soon and she wouldn't have to deal with the typical headache that came with tight braids and hairstyles she had tried.

Even if some of the braids ended up looking worse than she expected she was proud of her work. She had done the style entirely from memory, add on the face that Alva had never done it before and she had a right to be proud over her work. A pang of sadness claimed her as she stared at the child who happily wore the hairstyles she wished she could growing up, and the way Far'vä smiled proudly to her friends who all awe'd in jealousy.

Alva forced a big smile on her face and kept it there until the creeping sadness disappeared and the smile turned genuine again. This was what home felt like.

**AN: To make up for the tease in the previous chapter I gave you this...thing. Originally there was some Tsu'tey in here but I decided not to. Alva isn't with him every second and this scene was wholesome enough and shows some of her journey and interactions with the clan.**


	27. Chapter 27

The dreamwalker focused her eyes on the target that had been hung by her teacher a fair distance away. The soft wind made it swing gently from the branch it hung from. It had been painted green and brown so that it would blend in with the environment around them. The choice of colors had been her teacher's idea, seeing how he had a lot of experience training the younger Na'vi.

Her teacher stood close enough that she could hear the sharp exhales and exasperated inhales he released whenever she did something wrong, or the short puffs of air he let out when she managed to get reactions out of him. Tsu'tey would deny it of course, but she knew what it was.

"Relax your stomach." He told her, pressing the tips of his warm fingers into the middle of her stomach. "Is too tense."

Alva tried to relax her stomach but his fingers kept her tense. She chuckled and looked down on her bow to hide the slight purple blush that was growing at the apples of her cheeks. Tsu'tey huffed and pushed harder in an impatient way that was showing on his face.

"Tawtute is lazy." He growled and stepped away.

"Not lazy, it's just hard to relax when you're shoving your fingers into my stomach, 'Sey." She told him airily and as soon as his fingers left her stomach she relaxed. Alva looked over at him as if to say 'I told you so' and he glared at her in return.

The Na'vi warrior scoffed and took a few steps forward, grabbed her hand and placed it on his defined stomach. Alva stared wide-eyed up at him, not being able to help that her fingers had already started to trace the skin she had been offered. He stared down at her before grabbing his own bow and in one quick, skilled motion he pulled it, nocked an arrow and hit bullseye on the target, all with his stomach relaxed.

"See, lazy." He told her and stepped away from her once again.

Alva scoffed playfully and sent him a faux glare. "I blame you for that. You're the one who's supposed to teach me and all that." She teased him in a sing-song tone, watching his eye twitch and his tail swing behind him. "At this pace I'll never make it to my iknimaya."

"No student of mine has ever failed before." He declared proudly and defiantly to her statement. "The leaf will not fail, I will make sure of this."

The dreamwalker smiled at his words before looking away once more, his words touching her more than what she had thought they would. "You're trying to get me ready before Jake is, aren't you?"

"Yes" He replied without hesitation, his eyes strong against her turned cheek. "He should not be here." Tsu'tey didn't flinch away from her questioning look, instead he seemed to embrace it. "He cannot see, he is like stone, you are like leaf. Different. JakeSully does not deserve the honor we have given him."

"And I do?" Alva asked in a rare whisper, her eyes a bit challenging and insecure as she looked at him for an answer. "I don't think I can kill an animal, 'Sey. I'm weak."

He sighed out his nose and took a few frigid steps towards his student. "Bug is not weak. It is not wrong to not want to kill animals, the Na'vi only do it when we need to. We live in balance with nature and Eywa, it gives me pride to see student respect and honor that."

Alva nodded and pulled back the string to her bow again. They had started using arrows this lesson but she hadn't been allowed to let one go yet, he said it was too dangerous as she could barely handle the bow without an arrow in it, much less with one. So far she had almost shot the arrow three times, one of them towards her teacher, one of them towards herself and the other one into some random bushes. Her arms were aching and her head pulsing. It had been a long time since she had been allowed to rest and it was taking its toll as the sun kept glaring down at them relentlessly.

"So you like me better than Jake?" She teased him, her eyes sparkling in amusement as he shook his head.

"Yes, ma student." He responded. "No one likes Jake." Tsu'tey said as if it was common information before he grinned. "Could be that he is ugly."

Alva gaped at him before bursting out into laughter. "Did you just make a joke?" Her eyes were wide with surprise and wonder as her body kept shaking with laughter. "That's golden!"

He stared at her as if she was crazy before he shook his head. His ears were flickering back and forth and his tail waved uncertainly behind him as he stared at her. "Yes. I made joke. Did you not like it?" Tsu'tey asked slowly before schooling his features and letting his voice take on that cold tone he usually had.

"Of course I did! It was amazing." She kept on laughing despite the joke not being that funny. It was just so unbelievable that Tsu'tey, the frigid and cold hunter of the Omatikaya clan would make a joke. A joke to her nonetheless. She hadn't expected it and now she couldn't stop laughing because of it. "'Sey don't be like that." Alva dragged out the last 'a' when she noticed the look on his face and the guarded posture. "I like it. You should joke more." Her heart warmed at the thought that he was starting to feel comfortable enough around her to joke and be more himself.

He nodded curtly and then pushed the bow in her arms again. The joking atmosphere around them was gone and the professional teaching one was back. "Stop being lazy, Alva. We do not have much time until the next iknimaya."

"I know." She sighed. Her body was aching from laughing but she embraced it. It was the first time he had made a real joke, and the surprise of it still lingered around them. "But we'll be fine." She continued in a peppy way, back to her normal cheery attitude as she bounced around on her feet. "I will be the best at archery and get the prettiest ikran."

Tsu'tey didn't answer her and instead gestured to the target. He was back in his teacher mode and had no time for childish displays and jokes. They had so much to do and so little time to do it.

Alva shrugged and got into the right position that she had spent gruelling long hours learning before notching one of the arrows she had been given. The arrows had a blunter tip that were usually used with the youngest of the Na'vi to make sure they didn't hurt themselves too badly during training. Given that Alva wasn't far in front of the level of skills the children had, Tsu'tey had decided that it was only right that she too would practice with blunt arrows that would barely pierce the skin.

When she let go off the string it slapped against her underarm and she jumped away from it with a flinch. Alva let out an 'ow' and rubbed the spot with a deep pout. Several bruises had painted her arms in different shades of purple and dark blue.

"When does that stop hurting?" She asked her teacher in a petulant way, stomping her foot lightly against the soft ground.

Tsu'tey snorted and pushed himself off the tree he had been leaning on. "Never. That is why bug must learn to not do that." He gestured to the string that had slapped against the sensitive skin. "It is own fault it hurt."

"Yeah, yeah." Alva muttered and rubbed her arm some more. "What is iknimaya anyways, I think I slept through that class."

His piercing eyes met hers. "It is when student becomes hunter. Ikran makto. Banshee Rider. We will travel on pa'li to Ayram alusìng, the hallelujah mountains." Tsu'tey spun a stick around his fingers as his eyes flickered to and from her and the trees around them. "There you will walk amongst the ikran and one of them will choose you."

"How will I know that the ikran chooses me?" Alva eagerly asked, her eyes practically bugging out of her eyes as she leaned forward.

"It will try to kill you." He shortly responded and looked up at the sky. "You will make tsaheylu and then fly. After that you are ikran makto and no longer student." Tsu'tey placed the stick down on one of the lower branches on the big tree he was formerly leaning on.

Alva nodded and hummed. "When I become-uh- Ikran makto, will I be one of the people?"

"No." He told her before continuing, "you will then go through uniltaron. If you survive the last test then you will be one of the people. You will make bow out of kelutral wood, hometree wood, and then you may choose mate." His voice grew cold towards the end which made Alva spin her bracelets around her wrist in confusion. "If you accept then there will be a mating ceremony before you are bonded for life."

"Who says I even want a mate?" She responded, trying to lighten the mood once she realised how down he had gotten. "Maybe I want to live alone for the rest of my life in a random tree somewhere around here. Maybe I might even come visit you from time to time. Can't abandon my strong warrior." Alva smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Shoot arrow and then talk about mate." He barked at her roughly, his braid swinging behind him as he strode towards her quickly. "We have wasted much time with your foolishness."

Alva shrugged and grabbed her bow and arrow from the forest ground. "The way I see it you were just teaching me more about Na'vi traditions, culture and rituals. How am I supposed to prepare myself for my iknimaya if I don't even know what it is." She responded with a lilt at the end and a pointed look.

"Shoot." The warrior gruffed out with a scowl on his face. "Demon should stop talking so much or I will kill you myself to avoid shame when you fail iknimaya."

"You just said I'd do it." She pressed, trying to figure out how much she could press him that day and when she had to back away. It was a constant game of tug with the honored Na'vi and if she pressed too much she might be forced back to square one.

Tsu'tey snapped his head around to her and gave her the most annoyed scowl he had ever given her. A line was about to be crossed. "Shoot."

Alva looked away from him, shame bubbling up inside of her. He was a respectful warrior that deserved respect, something she didn't give him enough of as she tried to break through his walls.

"Sorry, karyu" She responded and fixed her stance. Alva's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to where Tsu'tey stood. His arms were crossed over his chest, his shoulders squared and face set in a heavy scowl that screamed disappointment.

Without hesitating Alva drew her bow with the arrow in it and let go off the arrow. It soared towards the target with great speed but almost as soon as it flew it fell down to the ground. Useless.

"Do it again." Her teacher commanded her.

Alva picked up the arrow in short sluggish movements while telling herself to stay positive and not let the failure get to her. Still her face threatened to fall and her chest became heavy. She fought on, forcing the negative emotions down where they came from, locking them up in the golden cage she had built for them. The arrow slipped through her fingers once and the cage rattled. A groan escaped her.

She walked back to her original position and drew her bow again. This time she was intent on hitting the target, if only to prove to Tsu'tey that she was a good student and valued his time. This time she could draw it with ease. Alva inhaled deeply and in tune with her next exhale she let the arrow fly. The green and brown of it made it barely stand out against its surroundings.

Alva held her breath as the arrow flew towards the target but once again the arrow fell flat against the ground. Her shoulders sank together but she forced herself to smile, knowing that if she didn't she'd let all of those bad emotions out. She would not succumb to them.

"Try again." Tsu'tey urged her, this time his voice held a patient and kind tone to it, and his eyes had softened significantly. "No Na'vi is expert at archery from birth. It all comes from training. Mistakes are good, ma Alva."

The dreamwalker nodded and grabbed the arrow again. This time she walked a bit straighter and a burst of confidence hit her after his reassurance that even the natives weren't perfect at it from the start. "Thank you." She whispered, smiling shyly at the handsome teacher.

He nodded but said nothing.

Alva once again took her position in front of the target. It somehow seemed to be closer now than before, and the shape of it more defined than before. She narrowed her eyes before shrugging. If it moved then it moved. The arrow was nocked and the bow drew in decent motions. Not bad but not very good either. Alva closed her eyes, inhaled and tried to clear her mind that had been clouded. Slowly it all ebbed away and all she felt was silence and the comfort of Eywa around her. She imagined that Eywa was singing her reassurance in the wind that kissed her cheeks and wished her luck with the slightly less intense sunshine.

She looked at him once more before exhaling and letting the arrow fly once more. Alva held her breath tensely as she watched it make its way towards its intended target. So far it hadn't dropped down, and that filled her with hope. A scene that most likely only lasted seconds felt like minutes to her, every single move of the arrow felt like strong currents and every spike of excitement felt like lightning.

It fell. Again. Just a small bit away from the distance it fell down. Almost there but still not yet. Alva sighed but still felt pride fill her that she had at least managed to almost hit it. That was more than she had expected for herself. Alva looked at her teacher, expecting him to look at her with disapproval but all she could see was his blank face with just a hint of pride in his eyes. The urge to hug him hit her but she resisted. She had pushed him too much already and she wasn't sure he was ready for that yet. Instead she stood there with her mouth open, hair a mess and bow still clenched tightly in her hands. Maybe there was hope after all, she thought as she stood there in that clearing with her teacher, two bows and only the soft sounds of the wind caressing the trees sounding around them.


	28. Chapter 28

The flowers she held in her hands fell to the ground when she heard the words tumble out of his mouth. Like a dark storm it soared across the crowd of Na'vi and then to her. Alva felt all her hard work crumble to pieces around her, the foothold she had made in the clan be erased and the anger of the natives around her. She had deceived them and they were none too pleased.

The bouquet that she had collected with some of the children fell to the ground. Pink, purple and blue petals spread around her feet. Alva folded her hands over her stomach and refused to let her eyes fall. She fought against her mind's desire to drift away.

She could feel Eywa warning her. In the wind she heard the soft spoken words and in the eyes of the natives she could feel their distrust, anger and disbelief. The sudden silence around them as she walked into the first hollow of the kelutral was deafening. The only thing that anchored her to the present was Tsu'tey, but even he was antsy.

A sudden softness around her made her eyes flutter shut and a delirious smile grow on her face. Suddenly as she felt the comfort of the goddess' arms around her the present didn't seem as bad, surely Eywa would not let anything happen to her that was not meant to be.

" **Do you deny it?** " The Na'vi standing in the middle of the large crowd asked her in a smug voice. His shoulders were relaxed, his head tilted high and a smirk on his thin lips. Alva saw the smug pride in his eyes and also the flickering they did towards her teacher, his cousin.

Alva clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and with a simple voice replied: " **No**."

The Na'vi man let out a triumphal shout and spread his arms up to the sky. " **I was right then... A dreamwalker in our own clan, unknown, hiding**." Shadows danced on his face from the fires around them. His golden eyes met hers once more. " **Spying** **on** **us**."

She wrinkled her nose and brushed a lock of her hair over her shoulder. " **I done many things, but spying, no.** " Her face was twisted up as if she was offended, but Alva would not let herself succumb to those treacherous emotions when the aura of a fight was filling the air. " **I learn the ways of the Na'vi. I permission have from the Tsahìk.** "

A piece of something dark and twisted that she had long since buried shifted down in its cage. The threat around her wasn't a joke, and even she felt his hostility towards her. " **Tsu'tey is my teacher, ma Tir'äya.** "

" **My cousin, my cousin is teaching you?** " Tir'äya asked incredulously and took a step back. " **Is this true? Are you teaching this demon?** "

Tsu'tey took a step forward and without looking at her even once, as he had not done since she walked into the kelutral. " **Yes. I'm training the dreamwalker.** "

Tsu'tey's cousin scoffed and tilted his head to the side with a scowl on his face. His lips turned down in disgust as he leered at them. " **I did not expect this from you, out of all people.** "

Before Tsu'tey could respond, Alva swooped in. " **I force him.** " She declared strongly with fierce eyes. She would not bring Tsu'tey down with her. He had worked his entire life to get where he was in the clan and she would never do anything to harm him. " **Was not his choice.** "

" **You let this demon force you, cousin? I thought you were a strong warrior.** " The cousin commented with a sneer on his face that made his chubby cheeks stand out. " **Let's see how strong the demon is.** " He strode forward with his bow held up in the air as his words turned into a shout which urged the other Na'vi to chant, scream and yip with him.

Alva stared at him blankly, not giving anything away to him or the loud crowd of excited onlookers. She knew the day would come, the day she would be forced to reveal herself, but she thought she had more time. Sooner or later all lies, no matter how carefully woven or how beautiful they are, always catch up to you.

" **I accept challenge.** " She said with an upturned cheek and tense posture. Her eyes briefly flickered to Tsu'tey but he gave her nothing but a glare and a huff. Her heart beat faster in her chest and her hands turned cold and clammy. The usual.

Tir'äya grinned, something that looked so similar to his cousin that it was eerie. " **So be it, dreamwalker. The liar has accepted my challenge!** " He called out to the spectators, who yipped in response. " **I promise that I won't hurt your student, cousin,...too much.** " He laughed and shoved his bow into the arms of one of the hunters beside him.

"Let's dance." Alva whispered to herself weakly. A feeling of hopelessness grew within her as she looked at her opponent. The Na'vi were all full of strong, defined muscle that flexes with every movement. Walls of muscles and strength, that's what they were. That's what Alva was not. Her body may be of the Na'vi appearance, thought less muscular, but her mind was not. Her mind was that of a still weak human trying to fit in a cruel world not meant for her. Alva would make herself fit in, by all means necessary.

She cracked her knuckles, fingers and wrists before adjusting all decorations she had adorned herself with. Surely some of them could come in handy.

Time seemed to slow down when she heard his battlecry, a sound that made her toes curl and a shiver rush down her spine. She imagined it was the sound he made right before making a kill, the sound being the last thing you heard before the sweet release of death claimed your soul and body.

Alva exhaled, the sound loud in her ears, before she too took a step forwards and into the path of the warrior. His steps shook the ground. She smiled at the sky before facing him, having accepted her fate.

Her eyes fell shut and her arms spread wide, only to be curled to her body as she danced to the side just as he lunged at her. Alva felt the rush of air he left behind. She was no fighter, she was a dancer. And dance she would do.

He recovered quickly and swung back around. This time she wasn't fast enough to avoid the fist he aimed at her stomach. It hit her fast and hard, knocking the air out of her lungs and making her eyes open with a painful whimper. This time he was the one that danced away from her, his movements so graceful she was almost jealous.

Alva huffed before forcing herself up from where she had fallen down on one knee. Her knees were shaking but she was determined. Mind over matter, if she convinced herself that she could do it then she would.

The Na'vi around them cheered eccentrically and closed in on them. The area grew smaller and the warrior came back around towards Alva. This time she was prepared for his blow and jumped back just before he could land it in her vulnerable stomach. Instead he used the momentum of his punch and instead hit her in the chin with a straight uppercut.

Blood flowed from where she had bit her tongue. It tasted of metall and humiliation. Her eyes teared up at the sharp pain and the feeling of her own blood slowly dripping down the side of her cheek from the split lip was barely noticeable through the thick fog of pulsating pain.

The crowd exclaimed loudly and she heard his laughter around her.

" **Not as strong as I thought.** " He hummed and looked down at her. ****" **You are weak like all the others. Your kind is not wanted here, demon!** " Tsu'tey's cousin hissed at her and forced her chin up so she could meet his infuriated eyes. They burned through her resolve. She looked away but not before she pushed his hand away from her.

"I am not weak." She muttered in a tone that bordered anger. Alva spat blood at the ground right by his feet and smirked up at him with blood coating her white teeth. Her head spun with all the voices of people that have called her weak; Grace, Norm, Jake, Tsu'tey, her family, her friends, all of them echoed and screamed at her.

Alva stood up straighter, looked around her once and saw that the crowd was still cheering as loudly as before. Now she could see that they did not only cheer for him, no. She saw her friends there, she saw her aunt, and she saw Jake with his teacher. He nodded at her and mimicked punching someone. She smiled.

The dreamwalker shook her hands softly before bringing them up to her chin. Her breathing was shaky but still strong.

He was standing still, just watching her. Alva stared back at him defiantly and took a few steps forward. She looked him up and down before she in one quick move pushed her tiny fist into his stomach. Alva felt her hands hit the hard muscle of his stomach, and she felt the flinch that rushed through him. She grinned.

Tir'äya snarled and pushed her away. " **Play time over.** "

His eyes darkened. Alva shivered and all courage she had before melted away like an ice cream would under the harsh sunlight of summer. Her legs shook and her breathing turned shallow.

He stalked her, turned when she turned, lunged when she jumped back and crouched when she did. Everything he did was precise and hauntingly beautiful. If it was not directed at her, Alva would have marveled at how he moved, and maybe even compared it to how her Tsu'tey moved, but it was directed at her.

Alva shook her head and gritted her teeth before she rushed towards him. Her feet made indents in the soft grass and the villagers' cheers filled the tense air. She brought her fists up, they shook and the wounds on them stung.

He laughed and brought his own fists up. She glared at him, heat rising inside of her at the way he mocked her. A new sense of strength filled her. Alva connected her fists with his ribs. Once, twice, even three times before he pushed her away from him.

Alva breathed heavily but this time a smile was on her lips. She saw the way he favored his left side after her heavy blows, saw the way he hunched over, the way he wheezed before his breathing returned to normal. She saw it all, she had done that.

His steps sounded like thunder and his expression was pure fury. Maybe she had surprised him and now he was mad he had been hurt by a mere human playing a Na'vi. Maybe it was all a front and he was secretly pleased his cousin had not taken a weak student under his wing.

She took a step backwards when he came too close but he grabbed her arm tightly before she could escape him once more. Alva gasped and looked down at his hand. The skin under his hold paled and ached as he pressed down on it. Without a doubt the skin would be bruised tomorrow.

Alva giggled through the heavy feeling in her head, through the pain rushing through her body and the exhaustion that just hit her like a train. She was proud of herself for what she had done, and hoped that he was too.

" **You should not have done that.** " Tri'äya hissed his words in a whisper only for her ears. His lips tugged upwards but it was not a good smile. It was a smile that promised pain.

Alva giggled once more and let her head flop back. " **I have no regrets.** " Her words were more of a punch to his stomach than her actual punch was. Her words were perfect na'vi and his eyes widened in shock before they hardened again.

"You will regret it. I can promise you that, Al'va." His words were cold and meant to hurt her but she could see in his face that he was impressed and maybe even a bit proud. It was not something that was obvious, maybe he wasn't even aware that he was showing it. Alva saw it in the way his eyes creased, the way his head tilted and the way his face wasn't hard enough for the facade he had.

She shook her head and placed a hand on his. " **Never.** " She breathed out and let her eyes fall to Tsu'tey.

He had been watching her during the fight with attentive eyes. They were wide enough for her to see his worry, and she smiled reassuringly at him. They both knew this was not a fight she could even dream about winning.

Right before his fist connected with the side of her head she winked at her teacher and let a wide, happy smile push through the grimace of pain. Alva would go out smiling. And so she did, immediately after his fist hit her already aching head, she was out like a light. All that could be heard from her before the body turned limp was a soft exhale.

Alva may not have won the fight but she had won something else instead. 


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: *insert apologies of your own choice*, I have no words.**

Grace had panicked when Alva woke up in her human body with a loud gasp that broke the fragile silence in the room. The hard part had not been to convince Grace that she was okay, even after the furious rant coupled with the lecture that Grace without a doubt had been saving for this very occasion, no. The difficult part had been to convince Grace to let her go back in. 

At first the scientist had been hesitant but eventually came to the same conclusion that it would be best for Alva to go back in her Avatar body. If not to protect her body then to make sure her relations with the clan wasn't torn beyond repair. 

"Take care of yourself this time." Grace urged her before the lid of the linking unit closed. 

Alva made no promises because there was no way of knowing what Pandora has in store for you. Already she had gotten into a fight with the future Olo'eyktan, and it was not even noon yet. Only Eywa knew what else was in store for the bruised dreamwalker.

Once her mind was cleared and darkness that turned into blinding lights claimed her, Alva finally felt herself wake up again. This time in a bruised, beat up, blue Na'vi body instead of her old human one. 

Alva blinked slowly as her eyes fluttered open against the harsh and unforgiving Pandorian sun. The first thing that greeted her was the concerned faces of her teacher, friends and other clan members. She smiled. 

"Kaltxì, did you miss me?" She giggled and pushed herself up to a sitting position before waving to the others as if she was merely waking up from a nap and not after one of their honored warriors knocked her out.

"You're crazy, Alva!" Jake breathed out and shoved her shoulder. He looked relieved and angry at the same time. "Scared the hell out of me."

She hummed and brushed the dirt off her body. "That is a good thing, no? Now you don't have hell in you." Alva smiled goofily, already the scare from the fight fading away from her mind. Eywa had been with her every move of it and Alva felt content with that, knowing that whatever happened to her was meant to. If her journey was meant to end in that fight she would open her thin arms to Eywa without hesitation and welcome death with a bright smile on her face. 

Slowly the crowd thinned until only Tsu'tey and Alva remained, as it should be. Alva and her warrior, the warrior and his leaf. He hadn't spoken to her yet, it had been so long since she had heard his rough voice, but she had yet to break the fragile silence either. Somehow it felt like it was not her place to speak first, like he had something gnawing inside of him. 

Finally, after minutes of silence that threatened to suffocate Alva, he spoke. 

"Training. Now." Tsu'tey told her shortly and pushed himself to his feet from the crouched position he had held besides her still aching and bruised body. 

She went to protest, feeling much too tired and hurt to put up with one of his trying training, or rather lessons in survival, but stood up once he gave her one of his stereotypical scowls. "Fine." She muttered, her usually good and dreamy nature being overcome with the bitterness of pain. 

Alva's body protested as she took her first steps after her agitated teacher. They were walking towards the spiralling wooden stairs, the ones she remembered tailing her aunt up the first time she was shown the hammocks, the stairs she used so often when playing with the children-- the stairs she limped up after she had been mutilated by Quaritch. 

It was strange how much memory one place could possess. As she walked up the stairs she could hear the giggles of the children, her own muffled grunts of pain, Tsu'tey's frustrated voice after they had a particularly challenging day together and the way Jake laughed with Neytiri. She could see the outlines of various Na'vi, she could see so much, always. 

Drops of scarlet red followed her determined steps, tainting the warm wooden tones of their home. Alva faintly smiled and kept walking, not minding the mess she made. 

"Where are we going?" She finally asked him after they had walked up several levels of the big kelutral. 

He took a sharp turn towards stairs that seemed more like platforms that one needed to leap from one to the other. Like a lemur, almost. 

"Top." Tsu'tey sharply responded and made the first leap to the second platform. He was graceful in every movement and seemed to glide from one platform to the other with each powerful jump. 

Her breath got caught in her throat before she hesitantly stepped up to the first platform. It was much lower than the rest but no less daunting. It taunted her, reminded her of the way she would jump up on it without hesitation had she not been wounded. It was taunting her of her own weakness and stupidity. 

Alva ignored its harsh words and jumped up on it, stumbling once but then straightened up. With time she was sure she would be leaping as smoothly and effortlessly as her teacher did. 

"Hurry up!" Came his impatient voice when he found that his student hadn't even started the journey and he was almost half-way to the top. 

She grimaced and ignored the harsh pain in her ribs as she slowly jumped from platform to platform. Slowly but surely she made her way up to him. Her legs threatened to give out under her a few times but never did. 

It took a few minutes, maybe ten, before she once again stood one measly step under him. Tsu'tey looked down on her with a smug smirk, as if he was higher than her. In the kelutral he was in his element, in the hunt he was in his element, but in the forest when she was in the trees he was the prey and she was the one with the upper hand. Funny how that happens, how he so easily showed his emotions of superiority, knowing that she often had the upper hand over him. 

"Shall we?" She asked, breathless and with sweat rushing down her pale forehead. "Or would you rather wait until Eywa comes to collect us?"

He glared at her before huffing. Tsu'tey spat something at her in na'vi that she hadn't learnt yet and she pouted, which only made him bark something else at her. An order? An insult? You never knew with Tsu'tey, but she was confident that he at least wasn't complimenting her. 

Alva coughed out a laugh before muffling it with her hand, ignoring the dried spots of blood on it. As soon as he turned around and continued climbing the platforms she couldn't keep it in and burst out in deep laughter that just wouldn't stop coming no matter how much she tried to force it down. 

Slowly she made her way up the spiralling, steep platforms and finally she felt the sun on her skin again. 

The view was incredible, she marveled and spun around in small, fast circles. The way the branches curled around the body of the tree and yet stretched out and provided neat hide outs for the ikran and plenty of space to run around on. The way the sun filtered through the leaves and fell upon her in thin slivers, the way the find felt more powerful up there, the way she could see how huge the forest really was and it still not being all of it. All of it was beautiful. She could see small blue dots on the ground and dots riding ikrans in the sky, happily calling out to each other as they flew. Alva could see some animals roaming the ground, she could see Eywa. Birds fluttered around in the sky in groups and the callings of the animals below her provided a sort of unusual sense of calm and peace to her. 

And then she saw him, seemingly so comfortable in his skin up there in a way she had never seen before. The way he moved on the branches, jumping from one to the other, climbing and running. The sun didn't shine down on him in thin slices, no, it all shone down on him. It was as if the sun followed him, making him shine in the surrounding greens and browns. 

He looked back at her once, for once he wasn't sporting a grimace of annoyance or scowl or even a glare. Now he looked back at her, face relaxed and eyes something akin to sparkling. 

Alva blinked once and it all changed, like her blinking had turned a page in some book. No longer did Tsu'tey glow, no longer was he smiling with sparkling eyes and no longer did he look happy with her presence. Did he ever? Was it just an illusion or was it a brief slip in his carefully structured mask of indifference and cold dislike? Alva didn't know, but she wished it to come back, so that she could bask in Tsu'tey's warm glow once more. 

"Why do you stare?" He barked at her and tilted his head to the side. The gentle screeches of nearby ikran was the only thing that filled the tense, almost suffocating air around them. 

Alva felt a slight blush try to force its way up her neck. "It's a nice view." She commented off-handedly and gestured around her, plastering a beaming smile to cover the nervosity underneath it. "I've never been here before. It's beautiful."

He nodded and turned back around before leaping over to one of the more remote branches. On the end of the strong branch a big collection of leaves and things, crawling branches hid the animals hiding within it. 

The dreamwalker sighed before skipping over to where her teacher had disappeared to, not minding him not responding to her, as he was prone to do. Once or twice her eyes wandered down to the ground and even though she felt the tingling sensation in her body from the height she was nowhere near scared of it, if anything it excited her. The familiar feeling of adrenalin was a welcome change for it had been too long since she had the opportunity to walk high up in the trees of Pandora. 

"I want to take you to meet Kida later." Alva told him just as she jumped over a small gap between branches. "Properly introduce you and all that."

"The paulukan?" Tsu'tey asked her, throwing a curt glance at her from over his shoulder. "It is dangerous, leaf."

"Don't worry, my strong warrior, Kida isn't dangerous. She's my friend."

"Kida." He tested the foreign name. "Kida. The palulukan is dangerous." He finally told her with a tone of finality, one that she would not accept from him or anyone. 

Alva crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. "No, she's not!" She muttered at him and took two, slow, short steps towards him. "She's kind, nice and a good friend. What would you know about palulukans anyways? Have you ever bonded with one?"

"No."

"Then how would you know that they're all just mindless, dangerous beasts?"

Tsu'tey turned around with a glare in his squinted eyes. "I never say palulukan is mindless. All animals here matter, but palulukan is dangerous, just like Na'vi, just like nantang. Dangerous and smart- not mindless, never mindless."

She shifted her weight and looked up at her teacher, seeing the intense look in his eyes, such a change from the glare they held before. 

"I guess I'm still used to the human view of the animals." Alva shyly responded and grinned when she saw the smug look that grew on his face. A trick she had learnt during her times with the lethal warrior was that the fastest way to break him out of one of his bad moods is to "reassure" or tell him of the moral superiority that the Na'vi held against the humans. Alva didn't mind it, so long as she could see him happy. 

"Yes." He responded with a nod and a slight grin pulling at his lips. "Now. Come." 

Alva nodded and eagerly made her way over to where her teacher stood. He was perched upon one of the smaller branches and looked upon one of the bigger bushes of leaves . She could vaguely see them rustle and hints of blue and purple hiding amongst the dark green. 

Her steps were no louder than a soft shuffle as she treaded closer to the branch. She could feel that something was hiding from her, more so than she could see it she could feel it. Its presence was vibrant and alive, like the harsh wind or a soft breeze. It moved around restlessly in the bush and as Tsu'tey did not seem to be bothered at all about it Alva assumed it was not something dangerous to her, or him. 

"Is it your ikran?" Alva softly asked after coming to a stop besides him. She glanced at him but kept her eyes locked on the animal hiding. "He's restless, aching to fly and feel the sun on his wings."

The Omatikayan kelutral was the home to many of the hunters ikrans and they had their nests in the crown of it, hiding in the bushes of leaves and basking in the sunlight on the various branches. Alva could hear them all around her now, feel their presence even as they hid. 

" **Sran** ." The warrior responded with an odd look. "How did you know?" Of course she could have figured it out from the basic knowledge that the ikrans were kept at the top of the tree, but he suspected it was more than that. She was a strange human. 

She giggled and took a step forward, almost like dancing but not quite. "I can feel him, can you not? His presence is so vibrant I can almost feel it. You two have a very strong bond, unbreakable." Alva winked at him and took one more step forward, tempting the ikran to come out of its nest and attack her. She was nothing if not reckless. 

Tsu'tey clenched his jaw and took a step forward, the warning dying in his mouth as she gently hushed him. 

"Don't worry, my strong warrior, Eywa will guide me." She swung around and looked straight into the bush. "Like I told you, he's restless. If I had known that you were going to introduce me I would have dressed in finer clothes. Respect and all of that." She waved it off and took a few steps back. "Even when she's not here I can hear her harsh words. 'Don't do that, Alva, foolish girl. The ikran are dangerous. Don't approach it!'" Her voice held a twinge of sadness to it but also bitterness. 

"But now that I'm away from her I see everything so much clearer. The animals she would warn me off from, telling me that they're monsters, turns out to be less of a monster than my kind." A glossiness appeared in her eyes and Tsu'tey's hand flinched. "Ikrans aren't any more dangerous than any other animal, and they all deserve the respect. People are so very cruel." 

Alva chuckled and walked back over to where Tsu'tey stood, placing a soft hand on his chest. She leaned up to whisper in his ear, enjoying the way he relaxed when she first walked over and how he tensed up again. "Now you introduce me to your ikran properly. I want to meet him." 

The dreamwalker got back down on her feet and giggled, twisting her bracelets around her arm as she watched him bristle. Tsu'tey didn't respond to her this time either but that was okay, he was not a Na'vi of words. 

Alva followed him closely as he made his way closer to where his ikran was waiting for them. It knew she was there and it knew she held no fear for it. 

He spoke softly to the winged beast lurking. Words of encouragement, of fondness and of respect flowed from his lips in na'vi in a way she had never heard him speak before. It was gentle, slow and tender. As soon as he stopped talking she longed to hear him speak like that again, only to her this time. 

Her eyes were teared away from Tsu'tey when the bush rattled and shook. Slowly splotches of clear blue with purple and green spots climbed out of the mass of green. It's yellow and intense eyes was what caught her attention first, though she directed her eyes away from them so as to not challenge the animal. Then her eyes followed the lithe and slim build it had, watching the muscles move under its leathery skin. It had no feathers like the birds back on Earth do, nor did it have a beak. It had four wings that all ended in talons that the ikrans used to grasp things and to walk. The ikrans had a steering vane under their lower jaw that she had seen many ikran makto grab affectionately. 

Tsu'tey placed his hand on the animal and stroked its neck slowly. "His name is Yllä." 

"Yllä." She echoed with a big smile on her face, lurching forward towards the pair, being mindful to keep an eye on Yllä as to not overstep a boundary. "Beautiful." She marveled once she got closer. The clear sky blue with black stripes and the yellow splotches on its neck and head made it a particularly stunning ikran. The slight hues of purple on the edges of the fore-wings glittered in the sunlight. 

Tsu'tey looked at her briefly and nodded proudly before focusing on his ikran again. "You can touch. Here." He gently grabbed her hand and placed it on Yllä's neck. 

Alva gasped and quickly placed her other hand next to the other. She could feel the rhythmic breathing from it and the warmth radiating off it. She could feel it better now, the way it moved, the way it shuffled anxiously, the way it reached for the sun and the win. 

"Tsu'tey." She called him. 

Her warrior once again looked over at her. "What?" He asked her impatiently. 

Alva shuffled in tune with the ikran. "He wants to fly." 

"I know." He told her and reached back to grab his tswin. Tsu'tey threw an annoyed look at her before he made tsaheylu with Yllä. "He will fly."

She beamed up at him and nodded frantically. "That's good. He'll be happy about that." She could barely stay still as she bounced energetically on her feet. "He'll really like that." Alva looked at Yllä as if confirming her words and then giggled. "Now go!"

Tsu'tey shot her another annoyed look before he jumped up on Yllä, shifting only once before he instinctually found the correct position. He nodded at her once before he let out a shrill yip and Yllä responded by lifting them off the ground in a few powerful swipes of his wings. 

Alva stood still even as the wind assaulted her. She waved at them when they moved away from her, singing a song that her aunt had taught her to sing. It was one that they used to sing whenever someone went away on a trip and you weren't sure when you would see them again. 

If she thought Tsu'tey looked at home walking around on the branches it was nothing compared to how he looked when he was flying his ikran, or the way he looked when he was chasing her or the way he looked during hunts. On his ikran his face was relaxed but still focused. It was without a scowl and there was no glare in his eye or anything like that. Tsu'tey looked at peace in the air and Alva swore that she would make him feel at peace on the ground too. Alva would make Tsu'tey happy, even if it was the last thing she did. 

  
  



	30. Chapter 30

AN: Social distanced hugs to all my readers:))

Alva glanced up at the figure soaring, no, floating in the sky above her. She could just barely make out the faintest shade of dark blue as the sun hit in just the right places. Atop his loyal ikran sat a just as loyal Tsu'tey. One day she hoped him to be as loyal to her as he was his ikran, to earn that loyalty and trust. 

The feeling of harsh bark and branches under her feet brought her back down to the ground even as her eyes longed to dance back to the dancing duo. For that must be what they were doing- a beautiful and deadly dance high up in the sky where they cannot be touched. A dance of control and utter trust, a trust humans cannot even begin to fathom, for such is the depth of it.

She reluctantly looked away once more and focused on getting to her destination. Her end of the deal had yet to be upheld and she wanted to impress him the way he had her. Kida was waiting for them somewhere in the forest, not that Alva knew where exactly her palulukan was hiding but it was somewhere in the forest. The first meeting between her teacher and Kida had been a disappointment, but that was to be expected. The palulukan was one of the Na'vi's biggest threats and the fear and respect for them had been ingrained in them since before they were born. Like lions or tigers, only bigger, more dangerous and overall more lethal, like everything on Pandora. Still she hoped that he would with time be able to overlook that some for her sake. 

This was her favorite part of the forest yet. It was full of big, tall trees that all held an impressive number of branches perfect for running on, and the view was fantastic. She could see mountains, lakes and the different kelutrals in the area. Green, green and even more green. Fifty and more shades of lovely green. If it hadn't been her favorite color before it was now. Another thing she loved about this part of the forest was that the sheer amount of branches made it almost impossible to see the ground in some places and overlapped so much that it almost turned into big platforms that held the most wonderful of colorful flowers and plants. She could spend hours running around in just this one forest on Pandora and never grow tired and never stop finding new things to marvel over. A paradise, her paradise. 

One pull, two pulls, three pulls and she was at the very top of the tree. With shaking hands she let go off the branch she was standing on and straightened to her full height. The tree swayed gently in the soft breeze and for a second she worried that she would fall. Alva let out a breath before letting her arms sway with the wind as if they were dancing together, and in a way they were. One wrong step and the dance turned deadly but it was a risk she was willing to take. 

Her curls flowed down her back like a waterfall and her eyes were closed as she swayed. All thoughts of Tsu'tey, the RDA and Jake slowly faded and in its place a bubbling feeling of contentment arose. For a precious minute or so it was just Alva and Eywa, dancing on top of a tree, together once more. 

"What are you doing?" A voice interrupted her calm. 

Alva giggled softly and opened her eyes. "Dancing, of course. Do you want to join me? My partner is very popular today." A twinkle of mystery lit in her eyes at her joke. 

"You could fall." Tsu'tey informed her, a bit of worry seeping into his words. "And die, no honor." He bluntly continued, stroking a hand down his ikran's neck when it screeched impatiently. 

She cooed and placed her right hand on the animal's neck, next to Tsu'tey's, making him falter in his steady stroking. "I'm sorry Yllä. Tsu'tey is a big meanie, isn't he? Hmm? You want to keep flying, don't you? I know you do, pretty boy." 

While Alva was having a very one-sided conversation with Tsu'tey's ikran he took the short amount of time he had to look her over. It wasn't often that he could watch her like this without her noticing. She had a way of knowing things that both pleased and unsettled him. The first thing his eyes flickered to was the many bruises that she had all over her body, most likely from all her climbing and playing with the clan children, none severe or worrying. Next his eyes traveled to the peculiar clothing she wore: while Na'vi in style and colors she had put her own human touch on it that was subtle and yet made all the difference. Her many accessories was the third thing to capture his attention and he spent no more than a second looking them over, if it was one thing that was a constant with Alva it was her love for accessories and therefore he had seen them enough times to have already familiarized himself with them. Her hair had always been fascinating to him, the way it was curly some days, straight others and sometimes a wild mess. Most of the time Alva carried some kind of flower or other object in her hair, today she had a large, blue flower that matched her chosen clothing. All in all, Alva never changed and that was something he appreciated. A constant in a life moving ever so faster with the growing conflict. 

"Tsu'tey?" She called his name gently, brushing her fingers over his briefly before boldly grabbing his hand. "Staring is rude."

He bristled at her words and let his signature scowl fall in place. "I would never stare at a demon." Tsu'tey barked and squeezed her hand once before pulling away. 

Alva shrugged and before she began climbing down the mighty tree she called out a cheeky "Whatever floats your boat, my strong warrior. Meet me at that place, I have a surprise."

\---

And a surprise it was. 

Kida, who had previously been lying peacefully beside Alva, growled lowly and got up on 6 feet. Slowly the palulukan crouched, still growling at the intruder, and was about to lunge at the Na'vi man before Alva raised a hand. 

"I thought you knew not to sneak up on a thanator." She laughed and stood up, letting one of her hands stroke Kida's side before letting her hand fall once she walked in front of the crouching animal. "They are easily startled." Alva gestured to the still growling Kida before turning back to her teacher. "But don't worry." She grinned, showing some of her teeth. "I won't let her hurt you." 

Tsu'tey had come to an abrupt stop when he saw the lounging palulukan, not even noticing Alva besides it as the beast had immediately raised to its full height and let out thundering growls as a warning. That deep rooted fear of the apex predator made him freeze before it urged him to flee. Without anything to defend himself with except for arrows he would be an easy snack for such an animal. 

A hiss grew in the back of his throat and his whole body tensed as he stared the mighty predator down. He was born a warrior and he'd die a warrior. His hands clenched into fists, his eyes narrowed, his tail flared and he crouched. A snarl echoed around them when the palulukan dug in the ground with one of its front legs. 

Alva pouted, like she hadn't even noticed the tense state he was in, when he didn't respond. "You've met her before, 'Sey" the avatar driver whined softly and took a few steps toward the man. "Shush, Kida." The woman told her loyal companion and with one last threatening growl the animal quieted down and laid back down. 

She gestured to the now quiet palulukan before giving him a hopeful smile. 

"No." He shook his head with wide eyes. 

Alva grinned before lunging towards him, grabbing his hands and forcing him towards the animal. "Yes." She insisted with a dazzling grin. "You two are long overdue for a proper introduction, don't ya think? Can't have my two favorites hating each other." 

"I am favorite?" He asked with a rare touch of softness to his voice. 

She giggled and waved a hand in the hair as if what he said was ridiculous. "Of course you are, 'Sey. You're my strong warrior." 

Tsu'tey opened and shut his mouth a couple of times before giving her a look. "I... do not hate you." He finally forced out with a wince. 

"Thank you." Alva bowed her head. "I'm honored, teacher. Now." She clapped her hands excitedly and grabbed his free one again. "This is Kida- Kida this is Tsu'tey." 

The two stared unimpressed at each other. Tsu'tey could still feel all of his instincts yelling at him to run but he trusted the human enough to humor her this once, well, that and he couldn't show her any weakness. 

The closer he got to the huge beast the more he questioned the girl's sanity. The animal glared at him with dark eyes that promised him death should he step out of line. He glared back, he too promised death should the animal step out of line. He would not hesitate to protect him... or her, he realised with only a small amount of anger. When did the idea of protecting or caring for the human stop disgusting him? When did it stop being an impossible concept and when did it start being the obvious thing to do? 

If it wasn't for the woman besides him he wouldn't have ever dreamt of ever getting this close to a palulukan willingly. Of course he respected the beasts but his fear outweighed any curiosity he ever held. It had been so long since he last saw one this closely and he had forgotten the sheer size of the beasts. Its jaws were opened, showing the rows of deathly sharp teeth that were just waiting to sink into his flesh. He didn't want to think of how much death and damage those teeth had brought, much less what they would do to him. 

Her warm hand kept him grounded and ever so slowly she would force it closer to the beast she called friend. And the beast, Kida, let her. Tsu'tey could see that they held a bond similar to the one he and Yllä shared, only not as permanent. 

"Shh." She soothed him, brushing a finger over the top of his hand. He hated how much it shook and he hated how much her touch affected him. When had her touch stopped being repulsive to him? "Don't you trust me?"  _ He did _ , but wasn't ready to admit it to her.... or himself yet. 

Tough leather-like skin touched his soft one and slowly he let out the breath that had gotten caught in his throat. All limbs were still attached and they were both still alive. Another exhale and he could feel his raging heartbeat slow down and the shakiness of his hand steady. 

"See," Alva whispered and let go off his hand, opting to instead wrap her arms around him from behind, leaning her cheek against his back. "I told you I wouldn't let you get hurt. This leaf does not lie."

Reluctantly he had to admit that touching the mighty beast wasn't as bad as he thought it would be and with her presence the beast seemed tamer than that one nantang his friend had tamed when they were children. 

"I still do not like it. It's a dangerous beast, tsaheylu or not." He muttered grumpily and tore his hand away from the palulukan as if it had burnt her. Kida growled softly at the insult but otherwise stayed silent. If it could speak he imagined it would tell him it felt the same. And that was okay for him. 

Tsu'tey shook his head and took a few steps back, needing to distance himself from both of them. 

"And that's okay." Alva echoed his thoughts and let him distance himself from her. Naive as she may be, she could still see when someone needed space. "Thank you for trying. It means a lot to me." She grinned at him and swung her arms timidly around her body. "Guess I owe you one now." 

They spent the next minutes in silence, with Alva dancing by herself and Tsu'tey glaring at both her and her companion. Soft snarls and hisses still came from the agitated male ever so often but both the avatar and the palulukan ignored him and his frustrations. 

Alva grunted softly when her restlessness grew too large to ignore and the urge to comfort her teacher overwhelmed her. She had not thought Kida's presence would affect him so, but had obviously miscalculated how he would react upon seeing the large beast. She winced when she realised her mistake and how lucky she was that the situation hadn't escalated. 

"Hey, Tsu'tey." Alva called out to him as she stepped towards him. 

He grunted. 

"I'm sorry." Her head hung slightly before her face lit up again. "But now you've met Kida and we can go on rides together. Oh, you'll just love it!" She gushed and jumped towards him. 

He took a step back with an uncomfortable grimace on his face. "Alva..." Tsu'tey warned her but as usual she ignored them and instead wrapped her arms around his middle, making him freeze and let out a choked sound. 

Alva leant her cheek against his chest and hugged him closer. "Hug me back." She ordered him softly and gave him a soft glare that held the promise of endless pranks, before he slowly, and not as reluctantly as he thought wrapped his arms around her as well. Alva sighed softly and pressed herself even closer to him, enjoying the closeness while it lasted. 

  
  



	31. Chapter 31

**AN: Only three chapters away from a big, big surprise:))**

Drums echoed loudly around her, filling her heart with the beat. Alva spun and spun and spun as she danced to the Na'vi music. There was something very familiar about it, the drums, the singing and the energy of it all. It reminded her of home, of her family and her own history. 

Her arms flowed around her as she twisted and turned. She was wearing a long, flowy skirt that bellowed out when she turned. She had made it just before the dance and had torn the fabric so as to move more freely. It was a soft pink that matched the equally as pink chest piece that she had woven together with the help of her aunt. The chest piece extended to her arms where the fabric turned into a see-through one that reached to her hips and when she spun around they looked like clear wings. Her hair had been partially braided with the top part braided into a crown and the bottom part of her hair flowing freely down her back. Alva had placed several pink flowers in her braid and to break up the pink, she had chosen all purple accessories that night. She had even tied a purple bow around her tail to finish off the look. 

The first group of Na'vi teens had finally become ikran makto and completed their training. The ceremony, and party, of their becoming an adult was always a joyous affair. Filled with booming music, dancing, games, foods and drinks. It was Alva's first but it wouldn't be her last. 

The Eytukan had announced them just a few minutes ago and now the celebration had begun. She had lost track of both Jake and Tsu'tey ages ago but she was fine without them. None of them would be able to keep up with her dancing anyways, and she needed to let out some steam that had been brewing inside her. 

Alva had never heard this song before, it was light and soft, not like the harsh beat of the previous one. It sounded almost like her mother used to, a soft whisper of love and pride. Her movements turned into smooth, long moves instead of the short, rapid ones to match the beat. Now it was all about perfection and gracefulness, whereas the previous one was all about primal pleasures and energy. Alva prefered the previous song. 

She breathed out a sigh of relief when the softness of the song transitioned into the heavy beat and loud singing that she was used to. Finally she was able to let loose again among her friends and foes. It was no fun dancing alone all the time, maybe one day she would meet someone who would dance with her. 

Alva grabbed ahold of her aunt's hands when the tempo grew faster. Together they twisted and turned, laughed and chuckled, sang and screamed. Her eyes shone with happiness and her body shook pleasantly. Alva let out a loud yip followed by loud laughter. 

"You dance long time, Alva." Tru'iel commented with a grin, showing her chipped canine. "You need drink and food. Now."

The Na'vi woman stopped Alva from twisting away from her and forced her over to one of the tables where a multitude of different meats, nuts and fruits laid. There were fresh rawps that many of the younger Na'vi had already begun eating. They were too salty for Alva and while she liked the vibrant blue color it wasn't enough. There were Tsu'tey's favorite: pxorna seeds. The bowl with the seeds was almost empty so the dreamwalker lunged forward and took a fistfull. Once she had seen one of the younger teens try to pluck some of the seeds off the tree but didn't get away in time before they exploded. Alva had never seen a Na'vi turn that particular shade of purple before. 

There were lots of other fruits on the table that she didn't recognize, some of them had spikes, some of them had spiky hair and some of them had thick skin that Alva had trouble breaking most of the time. She stayed away from those. Alva's eyes lit up comically when she saw the many clusters of purple yovo fruits. Her favorite. Eagerly she grabbed a handful of those too, not hesitating to pop a few of them in her mouth. 

"I love those!" She sighed. "Absolutely delicious." 

Alva's aunt chuckled and grabbed a random harvest fruit from the slowly disappearing stack of food. "I know." Was her simple response. It was no secret that Alva was the biggest fan of yovo fruits, or the lengths she would go to get some. 

Even though she had stopped dancing Alva's body still kept moving to the steady beat of the celebratory music. The girl had never been able to sit still, something that absolutely infuriated her much calmer brother. 

She had seen the new hunters sit together in a circle by the roaring fire snacking on syaksyuk offal wrapped in fine food wraps. At first the idea had disgusted her but then once she tasted the food she hastily proclaimed it to be delicious. Not more delicious than her precious yovo but still delicious enough to desire. 

Alva's eyes snapped over to the plate that held freshly steamed teylu and before any of the other Na'vi that were also crowding the table could get their hands on them she grabbed the whole plate and sauntered off, content with the food and fruits she had taken. 

After a quick 'thank you' to Eywa, Alva eagerly dug into the steamed teylu, savoring the slightly sweet taste. 

It wasn't long until a big shadow blocked the light from her. Her nose scrunched up and her mouth opened, prepared to tell off whoever interrupted her snacking time, when her jaw dropped to the ground and she hastily got up on her feet. 

" **H-hello.** " Alva stuttered and bowed her head. She wasn't sure why this Na'vi affected her this way, his mate never did and neither did his daughter. Maybe it was the age in his eyes that spoke of age old pain, or maybe the impressive size of him or maybe even the way he held himself. Either way the respect for the clan leader was instantaneous. 

The clan leader inclined his head as he stared down at her. " **Hello, demon** ." He greeted her in tow. His voice was softer than she expected given the demonstration he had held before. Still his voice held power and rumbled throughout the room. 

Alva stared up at him mutely. Seconds of tense silence past without either one of them speaking, the rest of the celebration melting away. 

" **You... wonder why I'm speaking...you.** " He stated and a flash of disgust and mistrust flashed through his eyes. 

She nodded. 

He took a step forward. " **Tsu'tey tells me... you show... promise. I....see...demon...impressed him.** " 

The Olo'eyktan’s words shocked her. Tsu'tey was impressed by her? A grin grew on her face and suddenly the imposing aura of the clan leader lessened. Alva dried her hands on the fabric of her loin cloth and gulped before meeting his eyes again. 

" **He speaks of me?** " Her na'vi had improved a lot since they began but she still had a thick accent. 

He could see the hope in her eyes and nodded once, regarding her carefully. " **He does, with great pride. My mate does too.** " 

Alva knew he was speaking slowly and simply on purpose and her respect for him grew even more. He claimed to hate them but here he was making an effort for her. " **I'm honored.** " She bowed her head before giving him a shy look. 

" **Do not betray their trust, dreamwalker.** " He huffed the warning at her, leveling her with a glare. " **You have shown them ....potential...now you have to show me....** "

With that he turned on his heel and stalked off, leaving a stunned Alva behind. She was speechless, for once in her life. Tsu'tey had talked about her? To the clan leader? Not only that but he was proud of her? The grin widened. Oh, she would never let him live that down. 

"You can come out now, auntie." Alva giggled, feeling all the tension fade away again. Maybe with time he'd be less intimidating. "The big bad olo'eyktan is gone. Unless it's me you're afraid of..." She glanced behind her and laughed once she saw the look on her aunt's face. " **I'm kidding.** "

"Oh." Tru'iel chuckled and walked up to her niece, holding her plate of food protectively. "Fun joke." 

Alva popped a yovo fruit in her mouth and beckoned the Na'vi woman closer. "You didn't even understand it." She pointed out with a grimace. "Na'vi is not easy to learn, ya know. I'm still more comfortable with english." Alva looked a bit sheepish. 

"It is okay, Alva. You have surprised many, do not worry so much. Today is great celebration." Her aunt reminded her after placing a kind hand on her shoulder. "Now is no time for that."

"You're right." The dreamwalker nodded with a determined look on her face. "I need to stop doubting myself so much. I'm doing my best and that's good enough. I'm strong and I can do this. I belong here." 

Tru'iel didn't respond, knowing that the last part was aimed at herself. 

"I have never spoken to the olo'eyktan." Tru'iel told her niece after a while. "I have seen him many times but never spoken."

"Oh?" Alva asked, turning around to face the Na'vi woman. "You haven't? Why not?"

The Na'vi laughed and ruffled Alva's hair. "He is clan leader. It is great honor to speak but he cannot speak to all. We are many and he only one. It is like... Earth king or president. You see, hear but don't speak." 

The human leant into the Na'vi's side with a tired sigh. "He scares me." She admitted with a tired pout. "He gave me this stare and all I wanted to do was run away and hide. But he did tell me that Tsu'tey talks about me." The last bit made her perk up with wide eyes and a gentle smile. "He can pretend all he wants that he doesn't like me but I know he does."

Tru'iel sent her a look before slowly pulling the dreamwalker closer. "You are very tired, Alva."

Alva pouted again and crossed her arms over her chest. "No." 

"Yes."

"Am not."

"Am too."

"Am not!" She protested and weakly hit her aunt on the arm. "You're the tired one and you're trying to put it on me!" 

Tru'iel looked at her and sighed. "You are acting like a child, Alva. Maybe it is time to sleep. Go find Tsu'tey, I will protect your food." 

Alva was disappointed to be ordered off to bed the way she was and no matter how much she wanted to stay up and dance she knew she was tired from the long day she had had and needed to sleep. Knowing her she'd make many embarrassing mistakes if she stayed up longer, like falling on top of people or tripping into the fire. She shuddered at the thought. 

She nodded gratefully to her aunt before getting back up on her feet and walking in the general direction that she thought her warrior would be. She hadn't seen him all night and she was beginning to miss him a bit. 

It took Alva a good ten or twenty minutes of tired stumbling around in the large hallow before she found Tsu'tey. He was sitting with his back leaning against one of the wooden pillars, surrounded by his many friends. 

"'Sey?" She asked him and grinned at his friends. "I want to go to sleep now and Tur'iel says you have to go with me so...." Alva trailed off and swung her arms at her sides. 

Said Tsu'tey tensed before turning around. "Demon!" He barked at her with a glare in his eyes. "You can go sleep alone." 

She snickered and took a few steps forward. "I'll get lost and then it'll be all your fault." Alva half-threatened him, knowing that he wasn't as against the idea of her company as he wanted it to seem like. "Then you can explain to Tur'iel and the Tsahìk why I'm gone." She smiled smugly at him. 

He flew to his feet and stalked towards her. "I do not care. Leave me alone!" Tsu'tey snarled, his tail swinging sharply behind him. He tilted his head as he stared her down. A battle of wills. 

"No." She softly replied and took yet another step forward, placing a hand on his arm. 

Tsu'tey ripped his arm away from her touch as if it burned him. "Do not touch me!" His voice dripped with disgust and she faltered, but then put on an even stronger smile. She wouldn't let him intimidate or bully her. 

"Then come with me. I just need you to show me the way to the hammocks and then you're free to enjoy the rest of the night." Alva sighed softly and rubbed her left eye. "Please, 'Sey. I'm really tired." 

He mumbled a few chosen words under his breath before gripping her arm and pulling her away from his friends. Alva winked at his friends before leaning into her strong warrior's warm body, enjoying the closeness that he had for once initiated. With him she felt untouchable and unbreakable, in control and grounded. Something she had grown used to not feeling, but somehow this cold and angry pandorian native gave her all that. 

  
  



	32. Chapter 32

Normally the Na'vi trained in hand-to-hand combat from an early age and when the time came to begin the real training they already had a strong foundation to lean on. Alva, being born a human on Earth, had none of that, and while the Na'vi melee techniques held similarities to the human jujutsu it was still difficult to get a hang of it. Tsu'tey had given her the most basic rundown of it he could after seeing how hopeless she was at it. After a few lessons and her managing to almost get close to him he decided that it was good enough. He'd never admit it but he was racing against Neytiri in getting his dreamwalker ready for iknimaya faster than she did hers. So far he was winning. By a lot too. The combat lessons left her sore, bruised and exhausted but it also left her stronger, more agile and faster. She was trained by the best after all. 

Tsu'tey had told her once that he hoped she was better with a bow than she was fighting or she may as well just lay down and wait for death should a battle ever happen. She had smiled at him before patting him on the shoulder. 

They spent more time working on the bow than they had fighting and Alva improved a lot each lesson. She was a natural, still not as good as a native but by far better than any dreamwalker he had ever seen. Alva loved target shooting. Well, she did after she figured out how to shoot the bow, before that she was ready to jump off a cliff every time her teacher brought the damned thing. Not to mention that Tsu'tey might have cheated the system and started bow training before finishing anything else, and tracking not far after that. Normally a Na'vi first learns to fight, then the bow, then tracking and after that all that the hunt entails. Alva had something more like, bow, track, fight, bow, bow, fight, bow, bow, track, bow, track, bow and now hunt. Wrong in every sense of the word but it worked for them, and it was normal for the trainers to adapt the training for their students. 

It was raining heavily and a dark cloud loomed above them. Tsu'tey was watching her in one of the trees and she could feel his eyes burning into her. This was it, time to prove herself. 

It was hard keeping on a happy smile when she knew what she had to do. Her friends had tried to cheer her up before but her heart was still just as heavy as before. Still, this was the Na'vi way of life and if she wanted to live amongst them as one of them she needed to accept that. 

They,  _ she _ , had stalked this yerik for days. It was blissfully unaware of her presence as she mainly kept to her beloved trees and it kept on grazing, kept on running and kept on living even as she counted down the hours until it wouldn't. 

"Is it time yet?" She asked her teacher with a sad frown, hands clenching around the well-worn training bow. 

He shook his head. " **Not yet.** "

Alva nodded and turned back to watch her prey. This animal was going to be her ticket into the clan, a necessary evil she told herself. It would live on comfortably in the arms of Eywa, she would make sure of it. Alva would honor the yerik, it was the least she could do. 

The rain had soaked through her hair and clothes before the stalk had begun but she could barely feel the steady downpour anymore. Her heart was closing in preparation and her mind had already started pulling her into the comfortable, warm clouds. 

She took a few steps forward, being careful to not step on any twigs or anything that'd make a loud sound. The yerik briefly stopped eating, snapped its head in her direction before going back to eating. Alva let out a shaky breath of relief when the animal didn't notice her crouching in the tall grass. She felt like a lion or a tiger stalking a zebra, just waiting for the right moment to strike. 

Alva pulled the lone arrow she had been given and put it in the right position. Her fingers ached as she thought back on the hours of training she had spent on getting the arrow right. Now it came naturally and she rarely made big mistakes while doing it. She stroked a finger on the feathers, before letting her hand fall, careful not to touch the tip. 

The forest was as lively as ever with many different animal sounds, a harsh wind and rain. She had always thought the forest smelled the best during and after rain. Petrichor had always been a favorite of hers but there was something about running in the forest during the rain that just got to her. Growing up in a place that was dry most of the year and then hit with heavy rains had made her appreciate the blessing that rain could be and the healing that came with it. 

The yerik had chosen a beautiful place as its final hunting ground. The trees were tall and not as close as she would have prefered. The ground was flat and covered in different plants, bushes and colorful flowers. Currently the yerik was standing on top of a cluster of glowing purple flowers and just a few steps away was a big patch of pink and blue ones. Bushes of all sizes filled with berries of all sorts and colors grew around the small clearing. Vines slithering up the heavy bases of the trees and moss that covered the stones and boulders only added to the calm atmosphere. 

The yerik itself was a big one but by the slight tremor in its legs and the discoloration in its face she had noticed it was an old one. The Na'vi did not take the young, strong animals if they could avoid it. Tsu'tey had given her a pleased nod when she had chosen it and the approval sent a spark of happiness through her. 

Another thing that made her proud was the fact that Jake wasn't even allowed to shoot his bow yet and here she was taking the next step before her iknimaya. She, the naive, weird little child with her head stuck in the clouds was going to do her iknimaya before the RDA golden boy ex marine, Jake Sully. A satisfied grin grew at that thought. She'd do it a hundred times over if it meant showing the RDA how wrong they were about her. 

A few more steps forward and she hit the limit that she could go before the yerik would notice her. Alva glanced up at her teacher and he gave her a nod. 

Suddenly it all felt so real. The rain and everything else faded away and all she saw was the yerik peacefully grazing, breathing and living. Could she take this life? Could she be selfish enough to do it? Alva's breath caught in her throat and tears welled in her eyes the longer she stared at the animal. Her hands shook and her whole body felt cold and sluggish. 

It felt like an eternity passed before she gathered the strength to straighten the bow and aim it at the unsuspecting animal. One exhale, she corrected her stance, two exhales, she took half a step forward, three exhales and she placed all her focus on the animal, four exhales and she let the arrow fly towards its target. 

Time seemed to stop as Alva watched her arrow soar towards the animal that would soon be dead because of her. She couldn't feel the rain on her cold skin, nor the harsh ground she had fallen down on, nor the death grip she had on her bow. And then when the animal let out a panicked and pain filled yelp before falling to the ground it all snapped back at her. The rain felt like stones as it fell on her skin, the ground like thousands of needles and the bow like a sharp knife. But none of it compared to the clenching pain in her heart or the burning tears in her eyes as she watched the yerik struggle on the ground. 

She rushed forwards, dropping her bow and hastily grabbing her knife. Alva only had seconds and she had already wasted too many in stunned silence. She heard Tsu'tey's light steps follow her and the proud encouragements he gave her that she paid no mind to.

Falling to her knees beside the whimpering animal she took her knife and cleanly stabbed the creature right in the heart, whispering: " **I See you brother, and thank you. Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of the People.** " Her voice broke several times and shook with sobs as the animal quieted down and joined Eywa. 

She had practiced the prayer for many weeks to get the pronunciation perfect, if she spoke unclearly then Eywa might not hear her. Saying the words while holding a knife into a living thing's heart still wasn't something she could prepare herself for, or the absolute heartbreak she felt at killing it. Her heart was clenching tightly, her breathing shallow and tears running like rivers down her pale cheeks. 

Alva sobbed and placed her hands on the yerik's side before leaning her forehead on the still warm skin. "Never make me do this again." She cried to Tsu'tey without looking at him. "Promise me." She snapped at him with red eyes and quivering mouth. 

"I can't." He told her with a frown. Tsu'tey hesitated before coming closer. "Still, I am proud. You have done good, my little leaf. You're ready for iknimaya." 

Alva sobbed at that, a mixture of bittersweet happiness and lingering sorrow. Pride simmered along with the harsh mix of sadness and emotional pain, and she hated that she could already feel the pain at killing the yerik leaving her. Maybe that was one of Eywa's gifts to her, maybe that was a sign that Eywa had accepted the yerik into her waiting arms and that it was okay for Alva to let go. 

"It's okay, Alva." He whispered in a rare soft tone, pity in his eyes. "It is the way of life. We take only what we need and the balance remains."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." She muttered and pulled her knife out of the animal. 

"It was not supposed to." Tsu'tey shrugged and squatted down next to her, grabbing the knife from her and in the process touching a few of her fingers. 

Alva looked up at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Her teacher's lip twitched. " **It means that all Na'vi go through this.** " He gestured to the scene. " **Normally they are younger and not as sensitive as you but the shock and grief is still there. I have heard that the olo'eyktan cried and the tsahìk broke her bow.** " This was the most emotional talk that he had ever had with her and already he could feel himself cringe and crawl. Had he known that she would cry like this he'd bring Neytiri to deal with her. 

He hesitated again but slowly pulled her into a side hug, knowing that she needed the comfort that only physical touch could give. Alva wrapped her arms securely around his middle before he could regret initiating the hug and sighed softly. Tsu'tey flinched but otherwise didn't move away as he normally would have done. 

"So... did you cry too?" She gave him a sly grin and dried some of her tears. 

He snorted and gave her an offended look. " **Of course not.** " Tsu'tey told her with a frown. " **But I still felt the loss of life as you did. Not as powerfully as you did but it was there. Maybe it's because of your...bond with Eywa.** " He was more comfortable having this conversation in Na'vi where he could properly express himself and not have to use that demonic language called english but he still hated every second of it. Tsu'tey was not ready for deep talks with Alva, or anyone. 

"You big softie!" Alva joked and slapped his arm lightly. "My name is Tsu'tey and I hate everyone but I still cry when I step on a bug." The dreamwalker mocked him. 

With an offended growl he pushed her away from her and stepped away. Alva burst out laughing and with each second of hysterical laughter that passed she seemed less and less affected by what she had just done, and more and more ready for the next step. 

  
  



	33. Chapter 33

"I'm so proud of you, Alva." Grace had told her before the heavy lid of the linking device shut. 

The stoic woman's approval and pride didn't send that familiar feeling of happiness that it used to. Alva had nodded once with a tight smile but otherwise felt nothing at the woman's words, that if anything scared her. When did Grace's opinion of her stopped mattering? 

The day of her iknimaya was a long awaited one and she had spent her last days as just Alva training in every way she could. She trained her hand-to-hand combat with Tsu'tey, Tru'iel  _ and _ her new friend Vek. She trained her bow skills for the first hunt on her ikran, she did arm workouts to strengthen the muscles there for when she had to capture her ikran and she meditated for her uniltaron. 

Vek was a short Na'vi who was second in charge of the cooking in the clan and it was his mother who was in charge of the whole operation. They had met when she tried to steal some fresh yovo fruits from a wrapping on top of one of the shelves in the main cooking area. At first Vek had been upset that someone tried to steal his snacks but after she gave the fruits back to him he calmed down and over the course of the days they had grown to be friends. He wasn't as strong as the others or as skilled but Alva needed the variety of fighting styles. 

Neytiri had helped braid her hair in a style similar to hers, and placed different colored beads and flowers in the thin braids. Alva's scalp had pulled and burned uncomfortably for a bit but she slowly got used to the feeling of having tight braids again. 

"Good luck." Neytiri had whispered to her after finishing the braids. 

"Thank you." Alva had responded shakily. She was already nervous but she appreciated Neytiri's kind words. 

Now she stood staring at the group of Na'vi already on top of their pa'lis with a blank look in her eyes and lips stretched into a thin line. Where was Tsu'tey? Where was her strong warrior? Alva bit her lip as worry gnawed at her. He wouldn't miss this big moment, would he? 

All her worries went away when his voice sounded behind her. "Why are you not on pa'li?"

"Tsu'tey." She smiled and spun around. Alva clapped her hands together and looked him up and down, appreciating the clothes he was wearing and the proud expression on his face that was mixed with slight irritation. "I was waiting for you." 

He inclined his head before ordering one of his other students to bring over two pa'lis for them. Tsu'tey turned slightly towards her and hesitated for a second before speaking. "Are you....excited for iknimaya?"

Alva giggled and nodded fervently. "Extremely. I'll finally get my own ikran." She gushed and spun around in an excited circle, making some of the present Na'vi shoot her weird glances. "Oh, 'Sey, think of the adventures we'll have." 

For a split second fear flashed in his eyes before he mounted his pa'li. He shot her one last uncomfortable look that was mixed with amusement before he escaped her. Alva shrugged and got up on her own pa'li, used to the strangeness of her teacher and his flighty behaviour. 

"Let's go catch some ikrans!" She called out to the others before galloping after her escaping teacher and friend. "I call dibs on being first!"

\---

Stones fell off the mountain that they and their loyal pa'li were steadily climbing. Nerves tingle in Alva's stomach and a constant grimace was on her face. Usually she was fine with heights and all of this but the tingling in her body from the height mixed with the nervosity was not a good mix and all she was left with was a permanent urge to throw up. 

No one was talking during the ride. She assumed they were all as nervous as her. Not many Na'vi failed their iknimaya but the fear was still there. What if no ikran chose them? What if they failed in making tsaheylu? They had trained all their lives for this and Alva hadn't. She felt almost undeserving of their place there, like she wasn't ready. 

She knew what the next step after this would be- uniltaron, the dreamhunt. No dreamwalker had gone through it before and that thought both scared and excited her. She would be a lot of firsts, including this one and uniltaron. A worrying thought that she couldn't let go of was that even the Na'vi themselves sometimes die during this rite of passage and that made her wonder what her chances were. Of course she wasn't afraid of dying, she had been looking forward to meeting Eywa in person, but death wasn't something that she actively sought out. Alva would die when she was meant to, and if that was sooner rather than later then so be it. 

She craned her head up to look at the floating mountains of Pandora. They were infamous even on Earth for their beauty but the few pictures the RDA had gotten off them didn't do them justice. Clear blue sky with not one hint of a cloud anywhere, bright, warm sun and a cool refreshing breeze. The mountains themselves were huge, these more so than the one they had set up camp on, and had long, strong vines hanging off the bottom and ends of the gigantic rocks. Some of them had mist floating around and waterfalls pouring over the edges. They cast big shadows over the company of Na'vi and Alva as they slowly made their way up. Some of the bigger ones had smaller rocks attached to them by branches, roots and vines, some of them even having several small ones that almost resembled stairs. The name was fitting; Iknimaya- stairway to heaven. Alva could see and hear some of the screeching ikran and the outlines of some that lounged in the sun on various mountain. The Mons Veritatis mountain had many roots, vines and crawling plants that had grown together and had almost sewn together to create pathways and binding smaller floating islands together that allowed the Na'vi to climb to the top and bond with an ikran. 

Alva looked down at the bountiful forest beneath her and immediately felt that tell-tale tingling in her toes that slowly spread through her legs and to the tips of her fingers. Most of what she could see was the crowns of trees, green as they come, the occasional meadow that hinted at the beauty that the trees hid, large bodies of water with several specks that could only be animals around and in them, mountains that stretched towards the sky but was bound to the ground, never to fly amongst their family. 

"You are afraid of height?" One of Tsu'tey's other students asked with a mocking tone in his voice. " **Hear that? The demon is scared.** " He called out to his friends when she didn't respond. She was too busy taking in the views to be concerned with his childish behaviour. 

" **I'm not.** " She shot back with an irritated flick of her tail. " **Are you?** " 

The Na'vi male cackled and looked at his friends who all laughed with him, and at her. " **No, demon, I'm not scared of heights.** " 

" **Good for you** ." Alva sent him a forced smile and returned to watching Pandora. 

" **The skyperson speaks our language** ." One of the others in the group commented neutrally. 

The same male from before chuckled. " **Barely. Did you hear her? It was like a baby talking, not knowing what sounds to make or what words to use. Pathetic.** " His friends chimed in laughing. 

Alva sighed at their comments. " **I can hear you. I'm not deaf.** " The last sentence had a slight hiss at the end. She was tired of people underestimating her or judging her based on the small things. 

The laughing stopped and tense silence took its place. 

" **We meant no offense. It was just for fun** ." One of the shyer ones broke the silence, apologetic at the way they behaved. " **We have never heard you speak na'vi before. JakeSully never does.** " 

" **I'm not Jake.** " Alva whispered and clenched her hands. " **I've been learning with 'Sey for long time. It's.... easy not.** " She winced when even she could hear how badly that came out. "You don't have to be mean about it." Alva continued in english, not in the mood to entertain the others any more. 

Silence fell upon the group again and Alva was left to her thoughts once more. This time it was about herself, how she had changed in the small time she had been with the Na'vi- how freedom had changed her and how confident she had gotten. Nowadays she barely had the need for her mind to take her away to happier places. It shocked her how much she had come out of her shell, a good shock. 

They reached the part where the pa'li couldn't take them any further and they all dismounted and watched the pa'li begin the trek home. It fascinated her how they always seemed to find home no matter where in the forest you left them. 

Tsu'tey took his place at the front and pointed to the vines that hung from the closest mountain with a stern look on his face. Alva resisted the urge to itch her forehead in fear of ruining the beautiful yellow v that had been painted there. 

" **-understood?** " 

Alva had zoned out and now she had no idea what he had told them to do. She nodded anyways and watched as her teacher jumped off the mountain top and grabbed one of the vines that were moving closer to them. Her heart skipped a beat before he safely grabbed a hold of it. It was in things like this that Alva saw the sheer strength he carried and the instinctual way he moved in the forest and everywhere. 

One by one the Na'vi students jumped off the mountain top until only Alva was left. She gulped and stared at them. For the first time in awhile she was scared. Her arms still weren't strong and compared to the others she couldn't jump as far. Though she was used to jumping around in the forest and this couldn't be that much different, could it?

Alva gulped and forced herself forward, pushing through her almost crippling fear. Her steps got faster until she was running and before long she had jumped off the ground. The feeling of freefalling in this way was unlike the secure feeling she had when falling in the forest. In the forest she would be caught by either branches or the harsh, unforgiving forest ground but up here she would fall to her death before anyone could catch her. 

Panic started to build in her chest as she watched herself come closer and closer to the vine as if time had slowed down. Her breathing had grown short and shallow but a rush of adrenaline and excitement still pulsed through her body. Like many times before the feeling of fear turned into excitement and she instead of the steady sense of fear and panic she now felt them ebb away and feelings of laughter and such took their place. 

Time snapped back into place just as Alva touched the thick vine. With an audible 'oof' she swung forward, gripping it all she could. It was then she realised that she was hysterically laughing and that her shortness of breath was not out of fear but out of fun. 

Tsu'tey shot her a concerned look and then nodded before climbing up the vine. Alva followed suit quickly, climbing was her thing after all. 

\---

The rest of the journey to the ikran nests were done in silence but they could all feel the nervosity and excitement fill them as they got closer and closer. The closest Alva had gotten to one of the winged animals was when Tsu'tey had shown her Yllä- his grumpy ikran who seriously needed to go out flying more often. 

The mountain that held the main colonies of the mountain banshees and the banshee rookery where they would search for their ikrans.  It had a gigantic waterfall that connected to the small grotto they stood in. It created a thick mist around them that clouded the mountain from view. The screeching of the animals were the loudest here and by Eywa there were a lot of them. Must have been hundreds of ikrans in this place alone, let alone on the whole mountain.

Alva couldn't stand still. The rush from before still surged through her veins and coupled with her usual restlessness this was a recipe for disaster. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were already dirty but she was smiling like usual. 

"Can I go first?" She asked Tsu'tey with her best puppy eyes. She was practically bouncing on her feet and swinging the meresh'ti cau'pla- banshee catcher, around her hands. Usually the Na'vi would train for years to use it correctly but she was going to wing it, like she did with everything else. She had gotten this far after all. 

He glared at her for interrupting him but nodded yes anyways. 

Alva thanked him before throwing her arms carelessly around him and bounding off on the thin ledge that would take her to the main area where the ikrans hung out. For once she had chosen to wear none of her bracelets, or rings or anklet and she was feeling very naked and exposed without them. 

There weren't as many ikrans waiting on the big platform when she stepped off the ledge. Still it was crowded and it was practically a sea of different colors coming from them. There were ones that held stunning shades of blues, greens and purples and then there were those that held darker shades of brown, grey and black. They were all beautiful, she decided. All different color combinations and sizes. 

The banshee catcher weighed a ton in her shaking hands but at the moment she felt no fear, only excitement. The others had joined her on the platform now and she could hear the advices and encouragements they were shouting. 

"Remember tsaheylu, Alva!" Tsu'tey had reminded her. He was tense and constantly moved around as they watched over her. 

Alva skipped forward and pouted when she saw so many of the ikrans move away from her. There was one particularly stunning one, it was average in size but had the nicest shade of light green that she had ever seen. She was sad to see it go. 

It took a few minutes of moving around the platform before she literally stumbled upon her ikran. It was Alva let out a soft gasp as it screeched at her and got up. The main color of it was a deep, smooth indigo that stretched across the long wings, covered most of the body but stopped where the head began. It had teal and a so dark blue that it almost appeared black stripes and shapes on the body and wings and in a beautiful blend from indigo the blue covered the head of her ikran. It was even more stunning than she had imagined. It had steely grey eyes with faint golden flecks in the middle and they were narrowed into a harsh glare. 

Alva took a step backwards in shock but at the sound of Tsu'tey's disapproving snarl she stepped closer again. She corrected her stance and swung the banshee catcher once in her hand before she with a battle cry jumped at it. 

They tumbled together on the ground. She kicked and tried to push it off of her as it fell slightly on top of her left leg, restricting her movement. It hissed at her and snapped its jaws at her face. Alva recoiled and with a strong push forced it to get back on its stomach. Immediately she tried to wrap the catcher around its snapping jaws and eyes but the ikran kept twisting and turning. 

It threw its head back at her and Alva fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Her ikran got up fast and turned towards her, lunging with the talons first. She rolled to the side, once, twice as the beast tried to scratch her before she forced herself back on her feet. Alva exhaled sharply, staring the beast straight in the eyes, crouching slightly before she once more jumped towards it. This time she managed to get on its back and lock her legs around its head enough so that she could force it back on the ground after it tried to lift off the ground. It snarled, hissed, screeched and yelped but Alva wouldn't let go until tsaheylu had been made. 

It was then that Alva realised that she had forgotten her catcher in the rolling earlier and she now had no way of controlling it. She screwed her eyes shut and groaned loudly. Tsu'tey had asked her to do two things and two things only: DON'T LOSE THE BANSHEE CATCHER and DON'T FORGET TO MAKE TSAHEYLU. And what did she do? She lost the banshee catcher and now she sat on its back like a dumb fool. 

It was the sharp bucking of the ikran beneath her that brought her back into the present. Ignoring the sharp yells of the others she decided to make tsaheylu without the banshee catcher. It could either be the thing that saved her or the very thing that killed her. 

Alva made sure that she had a good grip on the ikran before she reached behind her and grabbed her tswin much less gentler than she should have but the sharp twinge of pain was barely felt. Still struggling against the bucking and twisting ikran she shakily brought her tswin forward and attempted to make tsaheylu. 

It took several tries and the more time that passed by the more frustrated she got. Alva was on the verge of tears when she finally brought the two tswins together and formed the bond. The ikran fell lack to the ground, its breathing steadying and fight dwindling away. 

Alva panted heavily and cursed every god she knew the name of. Her legs were burning, no scratch that, her whole body was burning and she knew that she would spend the whole next day in bed sleeping it off. 

She had barely any time to get used to the feeling of being bonded with her ikran, feeling the way it breathed, the way it moved, the way it screeched softly and the way it begged to fly, before Tsu'tey had ran towards her and practically pushed both her and her ikran off the platform. 

With a scream of pure excitement Alva and her ikran dived from the mountain and into the sky.

AN: This is a long one and Alva finally passed her iknimaya:))

  
  



	34. Chapter 34

Alva stared at him as he blended the ceremonial paint. Her uniltaron had come quicker than she thought it would, only mere hours after she returned from her iknimaya. Tsu'tey had immediately taken her arm in a firm grip and pulled her up the spiralling stairs to one of the closed off rooms that the kelutral provided. When they arrived there, two bowls had been placed neatly on the table. One contained a white powder and the other a creamy-like liquid. Tsu'tey, the good and knowledgeable Na'vi that he was, grabbed the two bowls before pouring the powder into the liquid. He blended the mixture with his fingers until it was smooth and a pale white. 

Her hair was wild from the ride and her braids had little hairs peeking out, her flowers long discarded in the wind. Maybe one day Eywa would bring them back to her, they were too beautiful to never be seen again. Everytime she tried to fix her frizzy mane of curls Tsu'tey wound send her a harsh glare and he would smack her arm with his tail. After 5 times she stopped trying and instead stood there with a pout and arms crossed over her chest. 

"I've never done drugs before." Alva spoke suddenly. 

He hummed. "Drugs?"

"You know, drugs,  _ drugs _ ." She gestured wildly with her hands as if it would suddenly make him understand what drugs were, "They, um, there's different kinds and they're all mostly bad." Alva gave him a toothy grin. "But my auntie used to have these herbs and stuff that she used in the nights before bed. I don't think they were drugs but mama told me to never use them." 

Tsu'tey hummed and dipped his thumb into the mixture. "Where is your mother?" His accent was still rough but Ava liked it that way. 

"Dead." She told him before trying to steal a glance at the mixture in the bowl. 

His mouth formed a perfect 'o' before he turned around to face her. "I am....sorry to hear that." 

"It's fine," she waved her hand and got up on the tip of her toes as he brought the bowl up. "'Sey, I wanna see." Alva whined and tugged at his arm. 

Tsu'tey shook his head before tugging his arm out of her hold. " **Stand still, human** ." When she still wouldn't stand still he let out a hiss of frustration and smacked her arm with his tail. "Still!"

With a huff and a pout she settled down with a soft glare in her eyes. "Fine." She told him.

The Na'vi warrior sighed and dipped his fingers in the paint again before making the first line on her face. He took his time making sure it looked absolutely perfect and that the curve fit the shape of her face. Next he did the a line on the other side of her face identical to the first one, these would be the guidelines for the rest of the strokes and the art piece that will be Alva. Alva kept fidgeting but Tsu'tey had done this before with a more restless and fidgety Na'vi, compared to them she was easy. It wasn't until he finished making the bright white lines and swirls on her face, careful not to cover any of the bigger constellations of bioluminescent dots. 

After making sure the face was done and to his satisfaction he dipped his fingers once more and made eight straight lines down the length of her neck that then curved up on her shoulders, down her back and chest. His hands knew what to do, he had done it so many times and seen it happen many more. Alva let out a giggle when he brushed a hand over her ribs and he briefly grinned at her hiding the grin from her, and him. 

"You are strong." He breathed out once he had finished her shoulders, more so to reassure himself than her. He lightly touched her shoulders, careful not to mess up any of the intricate lines he had made. "You are strong, Alva. Eywa will guide you and return you to me." Tsu'tey, in a moment of nervous weakness, leaned his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. 

Alva closed her eyes and pressed back, grasping his arms before pulling him closer. He struggled for a second or two before practically melting into her. "Don't worry so much, my strong warrior. Eywa isn't calling me home yet. I'll go down there, do some drugs, find my spirit animal and then come back to you. Can't get rid of me that easily." She whispered to him, voice briefly taking on a dreamy note before she anchored herself to the Na'vi in her arms. "Your little leaf will always return to you."

And then the moment of weakness was over and Tsu'tey pulled away, leaving her cold and already longing for the next time he allowed himself to be held. Alva allowed him to pull away and took a step back to give him space. He glanced at her once before finishing his artwork, in silence and without eye contact. 

"Done." He told her after a few more minutes of tense silence. Her face and torso was now painted with heavy and thin lines of white, curling around her cheekbones, her shoulders and chest, heavy straight lines down her neck and soft curved lines on her stomach and back. 

Tsu'tey turned around to leave and Alva snapped back into focus and grabbed his arm. 

"Will it hurt?" She asked him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Alva's eyes were begging him for both the harsh truth and the sweet, comforting lie. She was trembling softly and her hands were clammy as the shook against his skin. 

"No." Tsu'tey shook his head before walking out of the room. It was up to her now to make it back to him. 

\---

Drums were already sounding when she walked down the spiralling stairs and into the ceremonial room. She had almost tripped twice already due to her nerves and she prayed that Eywa would guide her steps so as to not fall and make a fool out of herself in front of the elders. Tsu'tey's words had done nothing to soothe the growing anxiety inside of her and she had already felt herself start to detach from reality. Not many things frightened Alva, but this did. If she failed this she could die, no other dreamwalker had gone through the uniltaron before and even Na'vi occasionally died from the venom of the kali'weya, the arachnoid. 

"Alva." The tsahìk exclaimed when she came into view. The older female Na'vi looked about the same as all the other times Alva saw her but her mood and spirit was different. If Alva had to guess it was the raw connection with Eywa that happened during the uniltaron that thawed the icy heart of the clan matriarch. 

"Tsahìk." Alva inclined her head. " **I see you.** " 

Mo'at returned the gesture before gesturing to the other elders that sat around the big fire that lit up the big room. There were two other female elders that she didn't recognise and the Olo'eyktan. Alva bowed her head to him before taking her seat in front of the fire. 

Alva hadn't told Grace about her doing the uniltaron and she would without a doubt be facing the wrath of the scientist when Grace found out about it. 

Her eyes zoomed in on the familiar stone jar where her very own arachnoid was waiting. The day she caught it had been unusually warm and the wind a mere, almost unnoticeable caress. It had tried to hide from her but she eventually after many scratches and ungraceful falls caught it. If she looked close enough she could almost hear the desperate scratching it made as it tried to find its way out of the jar. A pang of guilt hit her and she looked away. 

The sting of the kali'weya was not the worst thing about the ritual, it was swallowing the eltungawng that got her. Though the ritual had yet to begin her throat was already drying as if to force her not to swallow the glow worm. Together the two animals would make her hallucinate and see what her spirit animal was. 

Alva had zoned out so much that she had completely missed the beginning of the ritual, all the fancy words, the prayer to Eywa and the first song. She shook her head and tried to focus, this was important. 

Eytukan stood up, grabbed the arachnoid from the jar and walked up behind her. The other elders' song was getting louder and faster with his every step. Alva felt unbearably warm and yet freezing at the same time.

This was it, no going back now, she thought after feeling the sharp sting of the arachnoid and the burning pain that followed it. Tsu'tey lied to her. It hurt, a lot. So much that tears formed in her eyes and she had to bite her hand to not let any of the whimpers or screams past her mouth. Alva had never had a high paintolerence and now she wished she had. 

Eytukan walked back to his seat and Mo'at took his place with a eltungwang dangling from her fingers. It wasn't very big but it was a glowing blue and looked a lot like a worm, unlike the arachnoid that was dark and looked like a mix between a spider and a scorpion. The feeling of the worm slithering down her throat almost made her gag. 

Slowly the outside world faded away but the loud chanting of the elders remained always. Sharp, pulsing pain travelled through her tswin and she saw stars. Still, she remained strong and fought through the pain. The world turned black and then slowly dull colors of brown and green grew out of the mind-numbing blackness. 

Alva rushed forward, her heart pulling her forward. It felt like grass under her feet and the vague outlines of trees surrounded her. High-pitched yips came from her feet and she glanced down on the viperwolves but she felt no pull towards the adorable wolf-like creatures so she kept running. The forest grew denser and the trees loomed over her. Ikran screeches echoed in the air but like the nantangs she didn't feel that tug. The screeches faded away and the yips did too. 

With a tired sigh Alva stopped running. No matter how far she ran she couldn't find the animal that called to her so. It wasn't an ikran, it wasn't a nantang, not an ilu and not a palulukan. The ilu she had encountered when the forest briefly turned into a bright beach with hot, rough sand scratching her sore and aching feet. The animal had jumped out of the animal and though she felt awe at seeing it there wasn't a pull. The palulukan had been chasing her for the last mile or so and since the palulukan was behind her and the pull forward it wasn't that either. 

Then she looked up. Of course, she exclaimed in her head. It wasn't in the air, the beach or the forest ground she felt the most at home. It was in the trees! 

Alva pulled herself up in the trees, curled her tail around the branch and gazed into the distance. Surely enough the pull felt stronger up here. She uncurled her tail and started running across the branches, willing them to move for her. This was her mind, her hallucination and the trees would bend to her will. 

The branches around her groaned as they fused together to make one giant path for her to run on. With every step she took the pull got stronger. The steady chanting of the elders now sounded like an annoying mosquito in the back of her head, distracting her from her goal. Alva started singing her own song to counter theirs, a little bit of her spun together with a little bit of the Na'vi. All around her the song could be heard echoing back from her; the ikrans screeches held the same melody, the splashes from the ilu added the slow and careful beat and the mixed together sounds of the nantangs and the palulukan provided the choir. Together with her vocals they formed the coming of age song her tribe used to sing whenever a member came of age in that little village in Africa. The meaning of the words had long been forgotten but the message and feelings that came with it remained. Alva never got to hear the song sung for her. 

With one long, powerful leap she jumped up on the higher branches and like the lower ones these too came together to form a bridge for her. These were greener and more colorful than the lower ones. These branches reminded her of the tree she used to sleep in before her aunt gave her a hammock in the kelutral. The familiar pattern and moss gave her comfort as she sped towards her spirit animal. 

Alva abruptly stops when the bond suddenly tensed like a rubber band and then snapped. The animal in front of her stared into her eyes, into her soul. It held one set of murky yellow eyes that screamed curiosity, and the short snout held a frown that hid the needle-sharp teeth. 

"Hi." She whispered, out of breath from all the running. 

The animal tilted its head. It hung from a branch one level higher, legs swinging back and forth, muscles in the four forearms tensing and relaxing. Out of all the animals on Pandora this was not the one she thought she'd get, but yet it all felt so right. They shared their love for the trees, the animal spending most of its life in the high trees. 

Her eyes traced the vivid blue of the body paired with some green spots. It looked a lot like a monkey would, and Alva loved monkeys. The single tswin blew gently in the breeze but before she could say or do anything more the animal snorted and jumped away. 

Alva gasped and lurked forward, trying to catch her spirit animal, but it was gone before she could even react. 

The chanting of the Na'vi grew louder and the forest faded out. Her heart tugged once. Alva sighed out in relief when the familiar dark walls of the forest room was painted back. She smiled and giggled when she saw the familiar faces of the Na'vi elders. She, the weak human, had gotten through her uniltaron alive.

"What did you see?" The tsahìk urged Alva. 

The dreamwalker sighed again and gave a lazy grin. "I saw a syaksyuk." Alva looked up at the Na'vi woman through hooded eyes and took the steaming cup of torukspxam tea. Slowly it helped the pain from the arachnoid ebb away. "I did it." Alva cheered. "I fucking did it! Take that Grace, take that brother!" 

The others smiled proudly at her and their cheers and yips felt like the sweetest music to her ears. She had done it. Alva was one of the people now and she couldn’t wait to tell Tsu’tey. 

**_AN: The big surprise that was going to be in this chapter is going to be its own chapter because it would be way too long to put it in this one. Feel free to guess what it is!_ **

  
  



	35. Chapter 35

With warm tears flowing down her face, smudging the pretty lines , she practically flew out of the ceremonial room, up the stairs and into the forest. Her heart was racing and her whole body was trembling with thinly veiled excitement. She, Alva Emem, was the first human to complete the iknimaya and the uniltaron, and becoming one of the people. All while constantly under criticism from her peers and fellow humans. All who believed in her could be found with the Na'vi. 

She felt Eywa sing her praise to the young girl. Alva felt it in the way the sun beamed down on her, in the way the grass and plants curled around her feet as if hugging her, the way the trees groaned and danced in the wind, in the way the docile animals by the kelutral had stopped to look at her and in the way she felt Eywa's warm arms stretch around her. Alva smiled at the sensation, it had the same comforting feeling that he family's hugs used to give her, before they were torn away from her. 

Alva ignored all of the Na'vi that shouted their congratulations to the running woman, even Jake who protested loudly when she just blew past him. He was waiting for her and she had never been one for making people wait. Her strong warrior was her priority above all else, had been since the moment she saw him and would be until the day her last adventure. 

The open plains that surrounded the hometree turned into a green forest. Alva was panting as she kept rushing towards that tree where she knew he waited for her, not knowing if she was alive or dead. Tsu'tey was waiting by the same tree where she first gave him his nickname, the place where he vowed to always catch her,  _ their _ tree. 

For once the dreamwalker didn't bother with climbing up one of the many trees. This time she would run and run and run until she saw him again. Alva didn't have the patience to wait anymore, not in the mood to enjoy the forest. She longed to tell him she did it, that her spirit animal was a prolemuris and that she was one of them now. She couldn't wait to see the look of pride and happiness on the face, and she even imagined him throwing his arms around her in a weak moment of affection. The last bit was a bit of a stretch and more so what she wanted to happen rather than what would happen. 

The time it took to get to the tall tree felt like years to Alva and every step felt like it weighed a ton. She scaled the tree faster than she had ever done before and leaped over to the branch that snaked up towards the next levels of branches that would take her to the crown of the tree. That was where her prize was. The wind slapped her face as she pulled herself up by sheer strength and determination alone. Like a ferocious animal she dragged, pulled and jumped her way up to the green, bright crown of the tallest and largest tree, only second to all of the kelutrals in the area. 

Her body came to a sharp stop when she saw him. The sun was gently shining on him, caressing his face and the shadows defining his already defined features. He stood with a ramrod straight back and his arms were limp by his sides though the hands were balled into tight fists that shook. Tsu'tey's large, feline like eyes stared into the distance and she doubted he had even realised she was there. Her eyes snapped down to the green and purple bracelet he had on his wrist. The familiar carving of her mother's name and the pattern of the twisted vines made her smile softly. Alva held her breath when he absentmindedly spun the bracelet around his wrist with his other hand. 

She took a step forward, the same gentle smile still on her painted lips. The tip of his tail touched the branch and moved softly when a particularly harsh pust of wind swept it away. Alva's jaw dropped when she noticed that his hair was out of its usual braids and fell down his back like a waterfall of black, silky curls. Her fingers twitched with the urge to touch it but she didn't want to give up her hiding spot yet. It wasn't often that she saw him unguarded like this and though she felt a little bad for letting him wait even longer to know she survived, she still wanted to take in as much details as possible. He wore a different rib protector, this one darker in color, as if in mourning and it dawned on her that he had prepared for the worst, that she wouldn't make it back to him. A few tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of her strong warrior standing in that spot all the while having his head filled with thoughts of her death. 

Alva took another step forward and mentally prayed to her ancestors for strength. He had a necklace on and among the dull colors of brown and grey feathers a glint of dark green, purple and neon pink. Her favorite ring! More tears formed in her eyes, he knew how much she adored wearing her jewelry and now he wore her favorite pieces. 

Tsu'tey closed his eyes and tilted his head down. Alva's hand stretched out as if to tilt it back up again. He looked so beautiful with the wind flowing through his hair and the sun shining down at his face. It was a sad beauty and she never wanted to see that look on his face again. 

"'Sey." She whispered and the wind carried her soft words over to him. 

His head snapped to her and relief colored his face. "Alva." Tsu'tey sighed and took a tentative step towards her, very unlike the strong, stoic warrior she was used to. " **You did it.** " 

Alva giggled and spun around once. " **Yes** !" 

Her strong warrior let a grin grow on his lips and crossed his arms over his strong chest. " **And?** " He asked. 

" **My spirit animal is a syaksyuk** ." She told him with shining eyes. Alva wiggled her toes and fingers. " **It fits doesn't it?** "

He took a step closer to her and nodded his head.  **"Yes, little leaf. I'd have guessed yours would be something big and aggressive.** " Tsu'tey teased her with amusement dancing in his bright eyes. " **But now I see that a calm, harmless syaksyuk fits you the best.** " 

She danced away from his hand when he tried to pull her closer. "Aren't you proud of me?"

Tsu'tey scoffed. "You know I am." He replied simply and chased after her. 

Alva laughed and dropped down to a branch below them. "Are you proud of me or proud of yourself for beating Neytiri?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "You got the best demon." She smiled and blew him a kiss before jumping off the branch and falling down towards the ground. 

She grabbed a vine that hung from one of the branches on the other tree and swung herself up on a thick, secure branch. Alva looked over at where he stood still, winking before disappearing from view. "Catch me!" She shouted over to him, wind brushing through her wild curls. 

And then she was off with him on her heels. Her laughter filled the air around them and the soft pitter-patter of their feet mixed together with the beat of her heart. It had been too long since they played together and she lived for the chase. A prize to be held but never kept, a prize that you had to win over and over again. 

Her feet carried her and she danced across branches, climbing up vines, jumping and leaping, pulling and dragging her way across the large forest. Her skilled ears could hear him behind her. Tsu'tey never slowed down or hesitated, he followed her wherever she went and it wouldn't be long until the warrior caught the leaf. A branch up, two branches down, next tree, back to the previous tree, down to the lowest branch, climb up the almost ladder-like braided vines to one of the more fragile trees. 

Once or twice she could feel his warm fingers graze her skin but he never got close enough to catch her, and so their game continued until one would give up. 

Alva jumped down to the forest floor and with a loud, laugh that came straight from her belly she sprinted away from her warrior that was stalking her in the trees. Oh, how the roles had turned. Her chest and stomach ached with laughter and her cheeks felt like they were splitting her face in half as a wide smile lit up her face. 

She passed one Na'vi that was gathering firewood for the evening meal and he gave her a stunned look as she flew past him. Alva barely had time to throw back a 'sorry' before she came face to face with her stalker. 

"C'mon, 'Sey, let me pass. Pretty please." Alva whined with a pout and tried to move past him but he moved with her. 

His face held a predatory smile on it that made shivers travel down her spine. Good shivers. "I don't think so, demon." Tsu'tey whispered to her and made the first move that started their game all over again. 

Alva turned on her heels and faster than lightning scaled the nearest tree, desperate to get away from him. 

"That's not nice!" She exclaimed when he yanked her tail. Once he let go she smacked him in the face with said tail twice before once again making a run for it. 

The game was coming to an end and they both knew it. 

The bark of the tree was rough on her already sore feet but she pushed through the mild pain. She wouldn't lose to him, she couldn't. Alva begged Eywa to let her win this one but all she felt in return was a rumbling laughter from the deity. She sighed and turned around to face him, knowing the odds were not in her favor. Oddly enough they had circled all the way back to the tree they started at and now she stood in the same stop he had. Ironic. 

Alva felt his presence before he made himself known. 

"You lose, dreamwalker." He panted at her with a victorious look on his face and a smug grin pulling on his lips. Tsu'tey looked as perfect as he did before, not a hair out of place or even a hint of purple in his face, nor did he show any signs of being tired from all the running and climbing they just did. 

"So it would seem." Alva drawled out smoothly, opening up her arms in surrender. "And what is your prize for winning?" She asked him curiously, taking a few steps towards him. 

"Nothing." He breathed out. "I already have what I need." 

Her heart skipped a beat at that. Then her eyes lit up at the memory of what happened last time they were in the tree. With a shy smile she took one more step towards him before 'tripping' over the edge. Alva closed her eyes and waited for the feeling of being airborne. But it never came. 

Time seemed to slow down when he grabbed her. His warm fingers curled around her waist and settled there, holding her firmly to his body though she was still hanging over the edge, completely at his mercy. They both stared at each other, panting softly. Alva moved her hands from where they were clutching his forearms and placed them on his chest.

A soft chuckle escaped her. "You caught me." 

"I will always catch you." He repeated what he had told her once before, his eyes almost pleading with her. "Always." Tsu'tey leaned forward and placed his forehead on hers. 

Alva's whole body warmed at his words and one of her hands snaked up from his chest and to the back of his head, burrowing the fingers in his soft hair. She smiled softly and angled her face closer to his hesitantly on how much she could push him this time. 

He didn't protest. 

"I know you will." Alva whispered back, looking down. "My strong, strong warrior." 

For the first time since she got there he gave her a genuine, heartfelt smile. Alva arched an eyebrow and sent a mental praise to Eywa for bringing her to this man. 

Their noses touched and she closed her eyes again, letting the sounds of the forest fill her every sense. His fingers tightened on her waist and he pulled her even closer to his body. She gasped but didn't open her eyes. 

Their lips were as close as possible without touching and Alva longed, no, ached to close the distance. She was so close, so close that she almost felt like crying. At this moment all the pain of her past melted away, all the disappointment and all negativity floated away until only this moment mattered, until only the feeling of him close to her mattered. 

Her second hand came up to meet her other as they locked together at his neck, pulling his head down to her. Alva gathered all her strength and slowly pressed her lips against his. There were no fireworks once she finally kissed the man of her dreams, no, it was a burning warmth that spread through her whole body and a thousand butterflies in her stomach. It was the feeling of him returning her affections that made her knees turn weak, that made her heart skip a beat, that made a big smile grow on her face. It was the feeling of being complete that soured through her. 

Tsu'tey pulled her as close as he could and grew more demanding, pressing his lips harder against hers like a starved man. Alva sighed and returned the passion. This was what she had longed for. It was like all the missing pieces of her puzzle finally fell into place and she never wanted to lose them ever again. He tilted his head to get better access to her swollen lips and she happily obliged. All she could think of was how his lips felt against hers and how perfect it all was. The kiss consumed her and she let herself be consumed. 

Eventually they had to breathe and so they stopped kissing while catching their breaths. Alva was smiling like a fool and her chest heaved as her whole body tingled from the kiss. He was smiling softly at her, lips swollen and eyes still closed but she imagined the soft and gentle look that without a doubt was there. Her strong warrior had been pushed to the edge and had let himself fall along with the leaf. Eywa applauded them and cheered them on as her favorite pair finally got together. Fireworks had nothing on them, she thought when she grinned at him before connecting their lips once more. 

**AN: Emem is a Nigerian surname and means peace. Fitting, isn't it?**

  
  



	36. Chapter 36

**AN: For those of you who read my other Avatar books (ISYT, Hiraeth and Insouciant, those will all be updated as soon as I have time!**

After fixing up the smudged lines on her body it was time for the last part of the ceremony. It was where she was officially welcomed by the Olo'eyktan and tsahìk as part of the Omatikaya and formerly had a place among them. The most important members would place their hands on her body first and then the people behind would place their hands on the person in front of them and so on and so forth until every clan member was part of the huge circle. Alva had seen it happen once but since she wasn't part of the clan she had been hesitant to join in. 

Her hair had been fixed and her lips repainted after the many kisses she stole from Tsu'tey. Finally she got to wear all of her jewelry again and the familiar weight of the bracelets, rings, anklets and earrings calmed her down. Without them she felt naked and exposed. For the occasion she had made herself a necklace- it was made out of a dark string that she had found laying around in the kelutral and hanging from it was a bright red stone that Grace had given her on her first day on Pandora. The necklace, or more like choker, hung around her neck and the stone rested comfortably between her collarbones. 

Alva walked into the main hall of the kelutral, her eyes dancing over the Toruk skull totem that stared directly at her. Large, pointy teeth pointing out of a gigantic skull that used to put fright in all who roamed Pandora, except for the legendary Toruk makto, now it was used as decoration, in ceremonies and an artifact that helped them never forget the might of Toruk makto, or the great times of sorrows in which the Toruk makto appears. Holes where piercing yellow eyes used to sit now stared hollowly at her. 

She catched Jake's eyes as her eyes danced over the many members of the big tribe that was waiting for her. When Alva saw the proud look on his face a shiver ran through her body and her breath got caught in her throat. When was the last time someone who wasn't a Na'vi was proud of her? 

Alva walked up the last set of steps and slowly walked over to where the Olo'eyktan stood in his normal clothing. His face was blank but there was a hint of pride in his stance and acceptance in his face. 

"Alva," his voice rumbled around the large hollow. 

She took another shy step forward, her chin and eyes tilted to the floor, nervosity gripping her tight. Eytukan stepped forward and placed his warm, rough hands on her fragile shoulders before bringing her eyes up to meet his. 

" **You are now a daughter of the Omatikaya. You are part of the people.** " The leader of the tribe nodded his head and stared hard into her eyes, trying to show her that his words were genuine and that she was truly one of the people. 

A tear slipped down her painted cheek and her lips wobbled as she suppressed cries of happiness. Her hands shook and her knees felt weak, like they were threatening to give in at any moment. She had finally done it! Finally she was a member, one of the people, one of them and not one of the humans. No longer would she be the shy, weird dreamwalker from Hell's Gate, no, now she would be Alva, hunter and ikran makto of the Omaticaya. 

" **Thank you,** " she whispered and nodded slowly. Tears rushed down her cheeks like rivers. " **You've no idea how much this means to me,** " her words were thick with emotion. 

The olo'eyktan nodded once more and put a bit more force into his hold. The tsahìk, Neytiri and Tsu'tey's cousin were the first to join Eytukan, but she felt their hands even more and through them she could feel their acceptance of her, the sense of belonging that was foreign to her and the feeling of finally being where she was supposed to be. It felt like home. Tsu'tey was next and his hands were soft on her shoulders, warmer than the others and sent soft tingles and sparks down her shoulder. Alva gave him a bright, teary smile and he gave her a small grin that no one else could see. 

The others of the tribe kept building on, each person placing their hands on the person in front of them and so on and so forth until they had created a big net with the tribe's members and the new one. Hands were placed on hands, hands were on her shoulders, her sides, her back, her tswin. Like a web she was being initiated into the family and one day she would be in a net just like this one, welcoming another into their big family, congratulating them on making it. 

Alva closed her eyes and exhaled. This was home. 

\---

Alva brushed off the skirt she had changed into as she stood up from the ground. The top section of her hair had been braided into one single, thick braid that hung over the rest of the hair on her back. People around her were singing, laughing and dancing the night away to the song or tune that the Na'vi version of a band was playing. The celebration of her initiation to the clan was still going on, even after several hours, and even Alva had grown tired after the first hour or so of frantic jumping. 

"Jake!" Alva greeted the man walking up to her. 

Jake had his hair in the usual style and he wore a bittersweet smile on his face. "Alva."

The now member of the Omaticaya lurched forward and threw her arms around her friend. "Did you see? I did it! I'm a part of the clan now!" 

"I saw," he responded with a grimace, "I wanted to, uh, congratulate you."

Alva squinted her eyes at the man with a smirk slowly growing on her lips, "are you jealous, Jake? You shouldn't worry so much, Eywa has a plan. She always does. I'm sure your time will come soon enough. When you're ready, of course."

Jake rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "I'm not jealous of you."

"Is that all you got from what I said?"

He shook his head, "I'm not jealous of you. It's just.... I'm running out of time and-"

"Running out of time to do what? You've got at least five years before your contract ends," Alva tilted her head as she looked at her friend strangely. "I've a feeling there's something you're not telling me. Something bad, something evil."

He shook his head but she saw through him. "It's nothing. Guess you joining the gang is suddenly placing a whole lot of pressure on me." Jake tried to force a smile on his face but it came out shaky and tense. 

"Uhuh." Alva cocked her hip. "Me proving all of you wrong is putting pressure on you. Can't have the boss' strange sister beat you to it, eh? Ain't my fault you didn't, and still don't believe your teacher. I mean you've been on Pandora a while now, surely you must have noticed  _ something _ ."

Jake let out an awkward laugh, "it's not that. Believe me, it's not. I got three months to...do this whole thing and I'm running out of time and with you beating me to it- It just doesn't look good, okay." 

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Three months? Jake your contract spans five years." Alva's voice grew cold as she started realising that Jake was lying to her again. She knew about his deal with Quaritch already, had paid the price for it too. "What're you trying to say? That I should have waited for you? Now, I don't get why Grace and all of you keep trying to keep me back but I'm not some weak girl with her mind all messed up like you seem to think! I never was and I never will be. I'm strong, I'm seeing! This is me! This has always been me! So stop trying to talk me down on my big day just because you're too much of a coward to realise the truth." She spat at him, thoroughly pissed off at this point, before shoving past him. 

Trying to cool down before rejoining her party proved to be more difficult than she first thought when Jake chased after her, tail moving sloppily behind him and steps loud. 

"Alva wait! You don't understand." He pleaded with her. 

"Understand  _ what _ ? That you've been conspiring against us this whole time?!" Alva spat out with eyes flashing with anger. "That the only reason  _ we _ had to move from base was so that  _ you _ would stop snitching to him?!" She pushed his chest. "That  _ you _ kept supporting the man trying to destroy all of this even when  _ they _ welcomed you!" another push. "That you still don't understand shit?!" a slap to his shoulder and a hot tear running down her cheek. "No. I don't get it, Jake, I honestly don't. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to get my freedom back, the freedom you people stole from me! This was, is my home and you're trying to destroy it!"

Jake staggered back with wide eyes. "H-how did you find out about that?"

"You weren't exactly keeping it a secret." Alva sneered, giving into the white, flashing anger that she had long buried. "I've been playing nice, I ignored the betrayal because I thought you'd learn to see. This is my safe place, the only place I've called home ever since I left Africa. Will you take this from me too?! Huh?! Here I don't have to be the weird girl who's so fragile she can't do shit on her own. Here I'm an ikran makto who has passed all the trials and who is weird in a good way!" Tears were running freely down her pale cheeks now. The anger, pain and hurt that she had forced down for so long was forcing its way through the cracks that had formed. "So help me Eywa if you take this from me you won't live to see another day."

"You have to understand-"

"I don't have to understand anything that you're saying," she hissed, showing her sharp canines. Alva's hands gestured in the air. "I'm done taking orders from all of you. I.Am.Free. A gilded cage is still a cage and I'm sorry that you would rather be in a cage than know true freedom, Jake, I really am. But just like none of you would help me, listen to me, understand me, I will do the same to you. I'm done, Jake. You couldn't even give me this day. You people just keep on taking. When is it enough? Huh?!"

The male dreamwalker took a step back when she took one forward with his hands held up in the air. When he realised she was waiting for his reply he hesitantly opened his mouth, "I'm sorry, Alva."

Alva's chest heaved and her shoulders ached with the weight of all the new emotions that were bombarding her. "I don't want your sorry. It won't solve anything."

"But I am! I-I. Yes, I've been working with Quaritch but I haven't reported to him in weeks. Weeks! I've fallen in love with Pandora! I have, but the plan is still on and I can't stop it." His head hung in shame. "I really am sorry, Alva, and I know it won't make anything better but I've changed. The human me feels more like a distant memory or a dream than the real me."

"And this is your grand apology? A ‘I'm sorry, I've changed’?" She couldn't stop now even if she wanted to. Alva's mind and feelings forced her to stay grounded, there would be no safe escape from this. "What did the Na'vi ever do to you? What did they ever do to you to make you want to do this?"

Jake shook his head and started pacing back and forth in the small corridor they had found themselves in. "It's not like that. It was all a job for me and Quaritch promised to give my legs back."

The woman hissed loudly and crouched, tail tensing. "You did all of this for your legs? You'd kill an entire tribe of people so you could maybe eventually have your legs back?"

"At first but it all changed! I swear! I fell in love with Pandora, with the nature, the animals, the people, Eywa!"

"She sings no praises of your love." Alva muttered bitterly, body still tense. "So what if you've changed. What's the point? You've already given them too much. You've doomed the Omaticaya and your sudden bout of regret will change nothing. Besides, this body gave you your legs back, and more."

Jake took a begging step forward, eyes pleading with her to listen. "Alva, I promise you. I need your help stopping him." 

"How much do you love her?" Alva suddenly asked, ears laid straight against her skull, teeth still bared in an obvious threat. "Neytiri," she clarified when he gave her a confused gaze. "How much do you love her?"

"A lot." He admitted and sighed out in relief when Alva straightened up. Never again would he piss her off again. 

Alva looked at him, really looked at him and nodded her head. "Fine. I won't tell anybody."

A part of Jake felt bad for taking advantage of Alva's trusting nature like this, but the only way to stop Quaritch's attack would be to get the Na'vi to move away and he knew Alva would never agree. 

  
  



End file.
